Toaster Vendetta
by LadybugGirl7068
Summary: Leo swears the toaster has something against him. If only his brothers would believe him. Just a funny drabble I thought of. Enjoy! Edit: Kay looks like this is a drabble a day story type thing that I hope you all like!
1. Toaster Vendetta

**Disclaimer: Own nothing**

"Donnie! Leo broke the toaster again!" Mikey called to his brother with out looking up from his magazine.

Donnie emerged from his lab, his flamethrower mask still resting on his forehead. "Leo! That's the fifth time this week! And it's only been a three day week so far!"

Leo threw his arms up in the air. "Well it's not my fault the toaster hates me! All I did was put a waffle in and it caught on fire!"

Raph walked in behind Donnie with a bemused look on his face. "What'd I miss? Leo kill the toaster again?"

"Yep," said Mikey, finally looking up from the paper. "I used it five minutes ago for some toast, then Leo comes in and it explodes. Yesterday it wouldn't give him his breakfast after it was done, and before that it burned his toaster strudel."

Leo spun around towards Raph, continuing the rant. "Yeah, and before that, it burned everything I tried to heat up!"

"The first time, you stuck a fork in it to get your toast out because it wouldn't pop up." Donnie added, checking over the toaster for any wire shortenings or breaks.

Raph crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall. "And after that, it wouldn't let you plug it in. Everytime you tried, it would ding like it was done and fall out of the socket." He laughed. "Then I tried plugging it in and it worked for me."

Leo pointed in the toaster's direction. "You see!? It hates me! That's what's going on here!"

"Leo, for the third time, inanimate objects can't hate you, you're just not good at using them." Donnie said.

Mikey laughed and jumped off the counter he was sitting on to walk over to his upset brother. "Don't worry, dude. I doubt it hates you enough to deny any poptart privleges. Maybe it just doesn't like your choice of breakfast foods?"

Leo turned on his brother. "But it's EVERY TIME Mikey. And its only me that it does this to." He walked up behind Donnie and leaned in to point at the toaster menacingly. "That's it. One more time, and you're toast."

Mikey smiled. "No pun intended I'm assuming."

Leo looked over and rolled his eyes. He pointed at the toaster again. "You know what I mean."

He stalked off as his brothers looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

The next day, Donnie made coffee and toast as usual. Mikey popped in his favorite toaster strudel and Raph made waffles.

Five minutes later Leo came in after his medatation for breakfast. He poured some orange juice and went to go put in a poptart.

As he neared the toaster, it suddenly exploded from the two slots and blew burnt powder in Leo's now sooty face.

The three brothers looked up as they heard the noise.

"Leo, are you okay!?"

Leo turned around to face Donnie and he sighed. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay. Well then, in that case..."

His brothers burst out laughing.

"You look like a chiminey sweep!" Donnie gasped.

"It looks like you got in a fight with some dirt and lost!" Mikey said though his laughter.

"You got beaten by the toaster! Again! What are the odds!" Raph laughed.

Leo turned around and glared at the toaster, fire in his eyes. "You."

The toaster didn't reply.

"Ugh!" Leo threw his arms in the air, grabbed his orange juice, and walked off towards the dojo, uncooked poptart still in hand.

The toaster smiled on the inside. 'Toaster six, turtle zero.'

 **Ok, just short little drabble. I'll be going now, hope you loved it!**


	2. Shoes

OKAY LISTEN REAL QUICK.

Thank you. I have decided to put some of my other drabbles on here as well, kinda like drabble a day except there is no consistency and you should not expect a drabble a day.

These will be written in different forms, like this one is only dialogue. The next one could be an all out story. They will be super short or maybe longer. Eh, who knows. Wait, I do. lol.

Also some will have no censoring from my mind at the top because I write stuff at... lets see its about two am. yeah.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING NOW READ MY LIL BABY DRABBLE.

i own nothing but sometimes i think i do and i forget to put this crap up here.

* * *

5 Shoes- Raph doesn't like shoes. Can't stand 'em. Even in the wintertime, when everyone else is wearing some form of footwear. Mikey made shoes for them all, soft boots that insulate as well as keep out the cold. But Raph refuses to wear them.

"Just put them on!"

"You can't take 'no' for an answer, can ya?"

"Raph, it's snowing out there!"

"I know that, Leo. Doesn't change my answer."

"Come on, Raph, just try it once?"

"Wow, Donnie too? Are you all gettin' on my case now?"

"They're super comfy! I even made yours with little red ribbons!"

"Mike, shut up. I ain't wearing your frilly feet prisons."

"Leo's right, Raph. It's well below freezing out there. I could check my thermometer, but I'm pretty sure it's around negative five degrees Fahrenheit."

"Don, you're really killin' me here."

"See? Just put them on!"

"I said 'no.' Do you really think I'm gonna change my mind? I thought you knew me."

"Raphie, your toes could freeze off! Or you could get hippo- hypoo- hydro-"

"Hypothermia, Mikey."

"Yeah, what Don said!"

"Listen Raph, we're going out as soon as you put the boots on. So put them on, now."

"And when have I ever properly followed your orders, oh Fearless leader?"

"You're hopeless!"

"Me? You're the one wearing blue tutu slippers!"

"Hey! I made those with love!"

"It could be worse, Raph. He put purple glitter on mine."

"I made those with love too!"

"And flowers, don't forget the flowers."

"The flowers are on mine, Leo. And I wear them with pride. Unlike SOME people I know."

"Hey, don't glare at me, I told you I wasn't gonna wear shoes and you made 'em anyway. That's on you."

"Raph, you can't come on patrol with us if you don't put them on."

"Ya sure about that, Leo?"

"I give up."

"Me too."

"All in favor of letting Raph get hypothermia say 'I.'"

"I."

"I."

"And I."

"Well, I'll see ya slowpokes up top."

"Raph! Get back here!"

"He's not listening, Leo."

"Shut up Don."

"I'll get the cocoa out for later!"

"You go do that, Mike. Knowing Raph, we're gonna need it."


	3. Personal

KAY ONE MORE THING

Sorry for taking your time. I'll make this quick.

After much thinking, this will be where I put ALL of my drabbles. I mean ALL. Angsty, hurt, death, funny, fluff. ALL. I'll let ya'll know if anyone dies tho.

This one is more angst/hurt/comfort.

I don't know what it is, I just like not having Splinter around. That might be why I usually kill him off first. You'll see how often he is dead or dying in my future posts.

What else... There was something else I needed to say... Dagnabbit. hmm. Oh well I'll think of it later.

I REMEMBERED. Okay so the numbers in front of these are out of order because I wrote these with a word, and that word is the name of each chapter. If anyone wants a word for me to write about I will try my best! Please! I need inspiration! You keep me going!

Thank you to who reviewed! I love reviews! Love them! I thrive off of them!

Guest/Starfire201: Lol yeah... the shoe chapter was inspired by the Michael Bay movie, actually. (Don't kill me but I'll watch anything with the name Ninja Turtles in it) All of the turtles have some form of footwear, except for Raph. Barefoot all the way!

THANK YOU NOW ENJOY I HOPE YOU DO.

HAHAHA I still don't own anything.

* * *

7 Personal- Leo tried to make it not personal. But when someone hurts your little brothers, it gets more personal than he's willing to admit.

Leo skipped steps when going down the basement, Mikey struggling to keep up. Usually Leo would wait, but not this time. Raph and Don were in trouble.

Leo wished he were better with computers. Maybe then he would have found Donnie distress signal sooner than two weeks.

Leo jumped over the last balcony, bending his knees as he landed on the cement floor. The red lights lined the ceiling, flashing. The alarm was deafening, so Leo tuned it out. He felt Mikey come up behind him and they looked at each other seriously and nodded.

They took off sprinting through the hallways, and Leo unsheathed his katanas with a _shiing._ Mikey's nunchaku made a _whoosh_ sound as they beat the air around them.

The first few guards came out of a doorwaay on their left, guns blazing. Leo flipped off the wall while running and brought his leg down onto a head with a spinning kick. Mikey did the same off the other wall, then cracked the last guard in the face, effectively knocking him out.

They wasted no time in taking off once again, disarming and knocking out any guards they came into contact with.

Finally, after a few twists and turns, they came to the door. Leo kicked it down and they jumped into the room, barely holding themselves back from killing anyone. When all twenty men were down, Leo motioned for Mikey to follow him to the last door within the room.

It was metal, so kicking it down was out of the question. The code on the side of the door looked complicated. So Leo pulled a Raph and stabbed it over and over again, ripping out wires until the door was no longer locked.

Mikey didn't seem shocked. He probably would have done the same thing.

The room was brightly lit, with one table in the middle of the room and two cages against the far wall, both of which were currently empty.

Leo noticed Don first. He was the one on the table, with Bishop in the middle of cutting into his side. Don's face was screwed up in pain, eyes closed tightly. Leo wasn't sure if he'd heard them come in. He looked like he wanted to scream, but the leather band around his beak served as an effective muzzle.

Leo then saw Raph chained to the wall to his left. Raph's wrists were bleeding and seemed broken. He had a metal band around his beak, but Leo's eyes stopped at Raph's chest. It was being held together by rope, keeping his shell closed together from being cut open in a Y shape. Raph was still pulling on the chains as hard as he could in the direction of Donnie, despite his injuries. His eyes pleaded with them, and motioned with his head to get Don.

Leo saw red. The next thing he knew, he was slashing at Bishop with everything he had. The man could barely dodge, and when he brought out a gun, Leo only growled and cut off the hand that held it. Bishop was screaming now, on the floor, gripping his stub of an arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Leo raised his katana to cut off the man's head. He was bringing it down when a hand stopped him.

The red edging his vision faded back to the blue of his bandana. Don was there.

"You don't... have to do this." His breathing was ragged, and his beak was bleeding from where the muzzle had been. Mikey held him up, not looking at Leo, but glaring at Bishop. If looks could kill, Leo knew the man would be dead.

Raph was in the back, leaning heavily against the wall and keeping his hands at his sides. He watched Leo, but didn't say anything. The metal band was still in place, maybe locked.

Leo turned his attention back to Donnie. His breathing wasn't normal, and his breath caught sometimes. His eyes pleaded with Leo.

Leo sheathed his katanas. "Okay Don. Mikey, let's get them out of here."

Mikey nodded. He helped Don shuffle his way to the door, and Leo helped Raph limp after them.

They didn't encounter any other guards on their way out, and took the elevator up to the first floor, where the exited out the alleyway. It took another good hour to get to the lair, including the breaks they took every ten minutes.

Mikey helped Don onto the cot next to where Leo had placed Raph, who had passed out fifteen minutes ago. The muzzle would be tough to remove, but they would do it. Somehow.

Leo motioned Mikey out of the room.

"Mikey, I need to finish up on something, okay? I'll be back in twenty minutes. Don't tell Don I went out. Try to make them comfortable until I get back." He whispered.

Mikey nodded in understanding and went to get a glass of water.

As Leo was leaving, Mikey called back to him quietly. "Leo? Be careful." Leo nodded and left.

He made his way through the hallways for the second time that night. Hopefully Bishop hadn't gotten too far. He came upon a blood trail leaving the room. It was a heavy flow. Maybe he'd bled out.

But Leo found that to be untrue when he discovered the end of the trail. Bishop was weak from the blood loss, his glasses lost somewhere along the way, and his hair sticking out in odd places. It made him look like a crazed lunatic.

Bishop glanced up at Leo. He was breathing hard and sitting up against the wall. "Just do... it."

But Leo wanted answers. "What did you do to them?" It was said as a calm demand. Maybe too calm.

Bishop made a sound that might have been a laugh. "I did what I wanted to do. Your species has always... fascinated me. I had to use the muzzles because of the... screaming they did. It made me lose my concentration... And then the red one bit me..." Another laugh. "I beat it within an inch of it's life for that..."

Leo unsheathed his katana.

Bishop kept talking as if he were being interviewed. "And it begged me to stop hurting the other one... So I made it watch as I-"

Blood spattered the wall. Bishop's head lay at Leo's feet, still frozen in the middle of his sentence.

Splinter wouldn't have approved of killing an unarmed man. But Splinter wasn't with them anymore.

Leo took a handkerchief from Bishop's coat and cleaned the blood from his katana and his plastron. It had been nearly fifteen minutes.

He started back to the lair. Leo knew Donnie was right. He didn't have to kill the man. But Bishop signed his death contract the moment he made it personal.


	4. Windows

I used to be good at endings. Now they're all just so cheesy and I apologize for that.

I was going to post this two hours ago but I got sidetracked by... I don't even remember and now it's two a.m. Again.

THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING. LITERALLY I SQUEAL AND CHANT 'I HOPE THEY LIKE IT' OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVERY TIME I GET AN EMAIL.

AND THE ANSWER TO THE REVIEW I GOT: YES. THAT'S A GOOD IDEA YUKIO87. A VERY GOOD IDEA. I WILL DO THAT. LEO PAIN IS ON THE WAY MY FRIEND.

So apparently I have no self control and have decided to give you something every night at around two a.m. until I run out of drabbles. This is probably not a good idea. But I can't help it, I love you guys too much and I'm guilty of not updating every single other story I have. Good news: A new chapter of every story I have is in the works! Bad news: I haven't touched them in a couple months probably!

So consider these a peace offering?

this one is just eh angst. no one gets hurt or dies, but I thought it was maybe heartwarming? Ish?

I HOPE YOU LIKE IT AND I'M SORRY ABOUT MY ADDICTION TO THE CAPS LOCK.

I own nothing. I'm not kidding.

* * *

6 Window- Sometimes Mikey wishes they had windows in the lair. Maybe he'll settle for looking into everyone's eyes because, after all, they are the windows to the soul. -how Mikey is so in tune with his brothers moods.

It started when they were all about seven. Mikey caught Raph sneaking off in the middle of the night. Naturally, being the little brother, he followed.

Raph didn't realize it until he'd reached a barred gutter looking out at the city. He'd demanded to know why Mikey was there.

Mikey didn't answer. He was too busy looking out the gutter at the new world. He seemed so mesmerized, Raph let it slide, on the condition he didn't tell anyone about their little adventure.

A few weeks later, Mikey asked Don why they didn't have any windows. Don told him it was for their protection, because windows worked both ways. If they saw out, then the surface would be able to see in, and if people saw them, things would get bad really fast.

So Mikey decided that yes, windows would be a bad idea. But in a lair with practically nothing to do, Mikey found other forms of a window.

His brothers.

It was like each of them was a different city, a different world. And their eyes were the windows in.

He studied one of them for weeks, seeing how their eyes changed in different situations, how they lit up in fun times and darkened in sad ones. Then he'd move on to the next brother for a few weeks.

Raph was a fiery world. Sometimes the fire was light, sometimes warm, sometimes it burned low. But mostly it was wild. There were a few times when it raged out of control, and usually afterwards it burned low. Almost like it was put out.

Leo was a calm and cool world. Mostly it was like a soothing yet focused breeze. But then there were times when it turned into a hurricane. Usually when he and Raph got into it. When the hurricane died down, though, it was a barren wasteland.

Donnie was a hard one to crack. His world seemed forever changing, moving like the parts in the watch they had found once. His window was calculating, calm, and frustrated. And Mikey had only seen it dark once, when Raph's shoulder was hurt in a fight with Leo.

The windows only ever got bigger through the years, letting Mikey realize just how complex a world could be.

Raph was rarely ever light and warm, now he was usually only ever wild and raging. Mikey had seen him burn low one too many times.

Leo was getting harder to read everyday. He was more cold than cool now, but Mikey could usually see past to what he was really feeling.

Donnie continued to change, he would light up in different ways to different things. His world had darkened on more than one occasion now, and it was hard to tell if he was angry or sad. Maybe it was a mix of both.

Sometimes Mikey wondered why no one seemed to notice when one of them was feeling down. They were faking being happy, forcing smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes.

So Mikey made it his mission to keep up with his brother's worlds.

When Raph was raging against Leo's hurricane, and there was an undertone of a low fire, Mikey would follow him when he ran out, just to see if he was okay.

When Leo's coldness was hiding a wasteland, Mikey would spar with him to bring back the breeze.

When Don's world was burnt out like gears, Mikey would make him take a break and give him new ideas on what to build next.

It was what he did.

Because he never wanted to see the day that Raph burned out. He never wanted to witness it if Leo's wasteland didn't start back up. He didn't want to be there when Don's gears stopped working.

So he helped in the way only he could. And he looked through the windows.


	5. Bulletproof

HEY HOW'S IT GOIN'?

Yukio87- Thank youuu! I have not yet started writing for that amazing idea, but the plot has formed in my head! Hopefully I'll get it done by the end of the week and post it by the end of the month? I will get this done.

Efarriaz- Thank you! My Spanish translator is not very good, but I like the idea of the others getting sick and Donnie freaking out because he doesn't have the right supplies. I've actually been writing a drabble where *SPOILER ALERT* Donnie dies first and Mikey is left to find a way to save his remaining brothers. And I'm so very sorry I haven't updated Silver Linings, the problem is I don't like it. I can do better than that, and the plot is just falling apart like a Nature Valley granola bar. BUT since you have brought it to my attention, I will TRY to finish it. I will. The next chapter is halfway written, I just haven't touched it in... golly gee it's been a long time.

Geez I hope the writers block doesn't come back. That was a dark time.

I'm sorry this is a short one, only 780 something words, but the next one will be LONGER. I PROMISE.

I HOPE YA'LL LIKE IT. I REALLY HOPE YA'LL LIKE IT. PLEASE REVIEW AND SAY IF YOU LIKED IT.

I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL SO HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER. IT'S MY FAULT WHEN I RUN OUT OF THINGS TO GIVE YOU. I CAN'T HELP IT I JUST LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

I don't own anything. At all. Not lying.

* * *

Mikey peeked his head out of Don's lab, where the genius himself was welding two pieces of metal together for an upgrade to the Shell Raiser.

Outside the door, there was shouting. Mikey sighed. Why did they have to always do this in the living room? But he didn't complain out loud. Leo had kind of a point this time. If Mikey hadn't thrown his shirukin at the gun just at that moment, the bullet coming out of it would be buried in Raph's brain.

Mikey shuddered at the thought. Donnie looked up from his welding. "You okay?"

Mikey glanced back. "Yeah. Just wondering if it's worth it to go get some popcorn."

Donnie snorted. "Probably not. I don't think popcorn is worth facing the unholiest wrath on the planet."

Mikey snickered. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Donnie went back to his welding. Mikey went back to his listening. It sounded like they had gotten past the somewhat chill talk and had moved onto the yelling stage. The next stage would either be one of them leaving the lair, probably Raph, or an all-out fist-fight.

If they were unlucky, a weapons fight. They didn't look to be standing close enough for a physical fight, but depending on what was said and how the other reacted, that could change very soon.

Mikey sighed. And he closed the door.

...

"You can't keep doing this, Raph! You can't keep going out there without a plan like this!" Leo waved his arms around. They were past a civilized conversation.

"I'd say it's been working out well so far!" Raph snapped back, fists clenched.

"So far? You almost got shot tonight Raphael!"

Raph scoffed. "So? We've all almost been shot before, why is this time any different?"

"It's- Raph, it was aimed for your head! Do you get that that man was going to kill you? If it hadn't been for Mikey's quick thinking, you would be dead!" Leo tried to make him understand.

"I know, okay! Why are you on my ass about this now, huh? I've saved even you, Fearless," he spat, "from gettin' shot through your head before, so what's changed!? Is it because it was me, the hotheaded good-for-nothing brother who wasn't paying attention!? Is it because I'm me!? Sorry, but I can't help-"

Leo was taken aback. Why didn't he understand? "No! It's not any of that, Raph! You do these things almost every time we go out on patrol, and your luck is going to run out! What if Mikey hadn't been there, huh? You'd be dead! And I-"

"Yeah, I'd be dead!" Raph interrupted, throwing his arms around for emphasis. "Who the hell cares!? Certainly not you, oh Fearless Leader! If you thin-"

"I care, Raph! I do! " Leo cried. "Why do you think I do these lectures!? To bore you!? I'm trying to get it through your thick skull that consequenses exist!"

"Nothing even happened! You're yelling at me for something that didn't even happen! You know what? I'm outta here." He turned to leave.

"Raphael-" Leo tried.

"I'm leaving, and you can't stop me!" He yelled, not turning around. He was halfway to the exit by now.

"You aren't bulletproof, Raph! You're not invincible!" Leo's voice cracked.

Raph stopped, but didn't turn around.

Leo took his chance. "You can't keep running around recklessly like this! One of these days, you are going to get hurt, or killed, or captured. And I don't think we can take it as a family with you gone. I do care, Raph. We all do. Without you here, who's going to help Don with the van? Who's going to make Mikey laugh? Who's going to keep me from training until I pass out? Hmm? We need you. I don't mind if you go out, and I would rather you stay, but just please be careful, okay?"

Raph was silent for several seconds, head bowed. Leo held his breath. Maybe now he understood.

Then, quietly, "... Okay. I'll stay. But just this once." He turned around and headed up the stairs, slamming his door.

To anyone else, it would seem like the angry end of an angry fight. But as Leo made his way to the dojo, he felt relieved.

Raph finally understood.

And that was the most Leo could have hoped for.


	6. Radius

SEE THIS ONE IS LONGER. BAD NEWS IS THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO BE SHORT AS FUCK.

Can I curse? Is that okay? I hope it's okay.

THE NEW NINJA TURTLES MOVIE WAS ASDFJKL; AMAZING. MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE. MORE TURTLES AND LESS APRIL. GO SEE IT. NOW.

Yukio87: I started writing your chapter right after I posted Bulletproof! THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING REVIEW! I might be able to post your chapter after I post Light. Maybe. I'm making yours kinda long. ; ) Who kidnaps him tho? Bishop or Shredder or some other guy?

5Mississippis: Thank youuu! :D

Pottyandweezlbe89: Thank you! More is on the way XD

OKAY THERE WAS ADIEU BUT NOW THERE IS NO MORE ADIEU SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU THE STORY

uh heh heh... someone dies.

I don't own anything and I'm getting tired of saying that.

* * *

25 Radius- If there was one thing Raph knew, it was explosions. So he knows when Donnie is lying about the blast radius.

Donnie set the bombs in place as Raph watched. They needed out of here in seven minutes, starting... now. Sooner, since pieces of the ceiling were already starting to fall. Some guy had thrown a grenade. It wasn't even close to hitting them when it blew, and Raph hadn't shied away. If there was one thing he knew, it was explosions.

It just so happened that the grenade had hit a major supporting beam on the exit side.

Donnie nodded and they ran. Leo and Mikey were waiting for them in the van. Leo would be in here, but he was the one they rescued. This place had information about their existence. It had to be destroyed.

Raph counted off the directions in his head, leading the way. _Left, up the stairs two floors, right, in the second door way on the left, up one flight of stairs, down a long-ass hallway, right, out the exit door._

Should be plenty of time to get out, as long as nothing went wrong.

Left, there's the stairs. He looked back to make sure Donnie was still with him.

Up one flight, up another- No!

The ceiling had caved in. They were going to have to climb up the elevator shaft.

"Down! Go back!" Raph yelled over the shaking building.

Donnie turned around to go back and stopped at the elevator around the corner. "This is dangerous, Raph! The elevator could-"

"I know! But we don't have time to think, we have to act!" He pried the doors open and helped Don reach the cables. Then he climbed in after and they both climbed up.

Raph counted off the floor numbers. _One flight, two flights, three._

"Here!"

Donnie leaped to the third floor doors and pried them open, Raph not far behind.

"Raph, we have four and a half minutes!" Donnie yelled, running down the hallway.

Raph muttered a curse. They were close to the hallway. Donnie skidded to a stop and turned onto the correct hallway.

Raph ran ahead to ram the door.

They were almost there, with less than a minute to spare. Raph heard a cry of surprise behind him, along with a loud crashing sound.

He stopped short and turned around as fast as possible without getting whiplash.

"Donnie!" His brother was trapped by nearly the entire upper floor. He was pinned on his stomach to the floor. Only his left arm and above his chest was free.

Donnie coughed the dust out of his lungs. "Don't worry, Raph, just go."

Raph tried lifting at least some of the rubble away, but a metal support beam had fallen across the downed rubble, and was barely leaning against the opposite wall, keeping the full weight off of Donnie.

"I'm not leaving you." Raph ground out. "We have maybe three minutes until this place blows, I'm getting you outta here." He tried again to lift the wall, in a different position this time.

Donnie bit his lip. "Raph, don't worry about me. The blast won't reach this far."

Raph rounded on him, suddenly angry. "Don't lie to me. Don't even _try_ to lie to me. Not now. Those explosives we placed have enough juice to take this entire place to the ground and shake a few other places around enough to be called an 'earthquake.' Not to mention that gas leak we set up, which will blow up and out, right into where we're standing."

Donnie didn't look Raph in the eye. "Please. Just go."

"No." Raph began kicking the rubble as hard as he could. It shifted back violently by about a foot.

Donnie pulled his other arm out and tried to find something to grab onto. Raph kicked the rubble a couple more times before he _heard_ more than _felt_ something give way in his leg. He cursed and saw Donnie searching with his hands.

Raph grasped them and pulled as hard as he could, bracing his good leg on the side of the rubble.

With a loud scraping sound and a muffled yell from both Donnie and Raph, the purple banded turtle was free.

Spots danced in Raph's vision. They had less than thirty seconds by now. They had to run for it.

He stood up on his good leg and helped Don to his feet. He was bleeding somewhere. They both were.

The exit was just a right turn away. Raph pulled Don as he ran as fast as his leg would let him without completely snapping in half.

They were right there. The exit sign above glowed red. Raph opened the door ever so slightly.

Then the explosion hit.

Raph shielded Donnie with his body on instinct.

And then it was dark.

Don would be okay. He was close enough to the door, and Raph was a block for the fire and rubble that rained down. And he knew he wouldn't make it. But Don would, and that's what mattered.

Because if there was one thing Raph knew, it was how to protect his brothers.

Until the very end.


	7. Light

WHAT DID I SAY. SHORT. AS. FUCK. Only 357 words, by far the shortest thing I have ever written.

5Mississippis: Thank you! So much! I posted the chapter and checked my phone before going to sleep, and I saw that someone had already reviewed and I was like what? Already? Who could this be? And I read it and I was so happy when I went to sleep! XD

Yukio87: asdfjkl; Thank youu! I'm so so happy you liked it! I have started on that chapter for you, and everything is planned out, I just might not get it done in time by tomorrow. BUT IT'S BEING WRITTEN RIGHT NOW. :D have a good day/night!

 _ **OKAY. ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING.**_ On the 18th I'm going to camp. I wish I could bring my computer along, but electronics aren't allowed... But that shouldn't stop you from reviewing in that time so I can see how you all are doing! You guys make me so happy, AND THANK YOU WHO FOLLOW AND FAV THIS. I THINK OF YOU GUYS TOO.

I'll get back officially on the 25th, so you can expect a super long chapter either before camp or after, review what you want and I can make it happen!

THANKS FOR READING THAT NOW THE STORY. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!

I own this. Hahaha I lie. Excuse me while I cry.

* * *

13 Light- Leo always leaves a light on for when Raph finally gets home. It's what he does. Raph always turns off the light Leo leaves on for him. It's what he does.

Raph always got mad when Leo stayed up to wait for him. He couldn't describe why, exactly. Maybe it was just that it seemed like Leo was being a goody-two-shoes by looking out for him. Maybe. Either way, Raph hated it.

So one night, he told Leo he hated that he waited for him. It got on his nerves. He thought Leo knew and was just doing it for that reason. But the next time Raph came home, Leo wasn't waiting there for him. Instead, a light was on by the stairs. It gave off enough light for Raph to see where he was going.

It was strange, not having Leo there on the couch waiting, but it was also nice not having his smug face there telling him off for running out after a fight he'd started. So Raph climbed the stairs and flipped the switch at the top, turning off the light.

The next time Raph ran out, he was still angry when he came back. There hadn't been any crimes to stop, no thugs to beat up. So he left the light on, as a 'so there' gesture.

When he woke up the next morning for training, it was off.

It became something more than just a light. Leo did it to show he cared. Raph did it to show he wasn't angry anymore. It was a nice system.

One night, Leo was the one to storm out. Raph knew he'd hit a breaking point when he'd brought Karai into it. So Leo left, and Raph was left there scratching his head at what to do.

Mikey and Donnie went to bed first. It was almost midnight by now. The lair was dark.

All except for the light left on by the stairs.

Leo stared at it. It wouldn't seem like much, but coming from Raph, it was all Leo could ask for.

With a small smile, he flipped the switch.


	8. Yukio87's chapter

TECHNICALLY I POSTED THE LAST CHAPTER YESTERDAY. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY TWO AND A HALF HOURS AGO. BUT I'M TRAVELING TOMORROW, SO THIS IS IN CASE I CAN'T POST TOMORROW.

YUKIO. I PRESENT TO YOU, WITH GREAT HAPPINESS, THIS NEW CHAPTER. I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

And thank you so much for that review, they always make me want to write more!

ENJOY!

I've said it once and I've said it a million times. I don't own anythinggg.

* * *

Raph slammed his fists on the table. Mikey jumped and Donnie was too spaced out to notice. Or care.

Leo would have reprimanded Raph for hitting something outside the dojo.

But Leo was the reason why Raph was hitting something outside the dojo. Or, lack of Leo.

It had been a week too long. A week since Leo had been missing.

Bishop didn't have him.

Shredder didn't have him.

Hun definitely didn't have him.

They'd checked. Twice.

"We can't just sit around, doing nothing! We've got to think of something, something we haven't tried, if we just-"

"We've tried _everything_ , Raph! Do you think we would be sitting here if we had any idea on what to do?"

Mikey blinked the tears away. They had been like this all week. Without Leo, Donnie had stepped up as leader and Raph had turned his attention to him.

Mikey stood up. "I'm going to look for him again."

Raph reached an arm out. "Mike, it's too dangerous, Donnie, tell him!"

Don stood up as well. "We'll go with you. Three pairs of eyes are better than one." He glanced at Raph. "And this way, we'll be doing something."

Mikey nodded and followed his brothers out the door.

It had been hours. Mikey's legs were complaining, but he told them to be quiet. It was time to look for Leo.

Raph had gone in the van, Donnie had taken to the air with the glider wings, and Mikey was on foot. They had agreed to radio silence unless one of them found something, so Mikey's complete focus was on finding his brother.

He took a running leap to the next building. It was old, and even the roof looked unstable. Nevertheless, Mikey jumped through an opened window on the side to check it out.

The smell of dust and mold had him covering his beak in disgust. It was too dark to see anything, but he peeked over the edge of the balcony anyway.

He hadn't expected to see a faint light. He really hadn't expected to hear muffled talking.

Mikey jumped to the next floor down silently until he reached the one with the light. The basement.

It was coming from under a door. The muffled talking had gotten quieter.

It sounded like... pleading? One voice was loud and insistent, while the other was quiet and subdued. Wait. Mikey knew that voice.

His first instinct was to barge in there, nunchaku blazing. But common sense said to call for backup before doing anything stupid.

Mikey sneaked off down the hall to call his brothers.

"Donnie?"

"Mike, I thought I said-"

"I think I found him."

Silence. Then,

"Where are you? Is he okay? Have you called Raph yet; is he with you? How bad is it?"

"Slow down, I think he's hurt, but I don't know, bro. There's someone in there with him."

"Okay. Mikey, don't do anything stupid. I'll call Raph, wait right there so I can track you."

"Okay. I'm in the basement."

"Be careful, Mike."

And the line was cut. Mikey sighed. He never liked waiting around. And with Leo so close... But no. Don had said to wait. And Mikey had no idea what was going on in there...

He crept back to the door to listen. The voices hadn't changed. Maybe there was only one guy in there?

"No! No, stop! Stop it!"

Mikey broke down the door before he knew what he was doing. His nunchaku were in his hands.

He gasped at the sight. Leo was chained sloppily to the floor by his wrists and ankles, spread out. His mask and gear were gone, and the fear was evident on his face by the way he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Some of Leo's sick lay off to the side.

There was so much blood. It was impossible to tell where one cut started and another ended; the green skin had been turned red by the cuts made. Leo's muscles seemed to spasm every once in a while.

The man stood up in shock at the new arrival. He dropped the knife he was holding and backed up until he hit the wall. It wasn't anyone Mikey knew, but he wasn't about to let the guy off easy. He just had to wait for his brothers.

Mikey knelt down next to Leo and brushed a hand over a spot on his face that was clear of cuts. Leo flinched away and muffled a cry.

Mikey felt his anger rise. No one hurt his brother like this. He stood up slowly, noting the blood that now stained his knees. Leo's blood.

He stalked to the man in the corner. "What did you do." He growled.

The man stumbled to a stand in his corner. "It was in pain. I'm fixing it."

"No!" Mikey yelled. The man shrunk back in fear. "His _name_ is Leonardo! He is _not_ an _it_. If anyone needs _fixing_ here it's _you_."

Mikey glanced back at his brother. His eyes fell on the needles against the wall. Realization dawned on him.

"You drugged him." It wasn't a question. "You drugged by brother."

The man held his arms up in surrender. "N-no! It's medicine! It makes you feel better!"

Mikey took his tanto out and held it threateningly close to the man's neck. "What is it, exactly?"

"Uh," The man gulped. "I-its candy. Snow. Flake."

Mikey's face darkened. "You mean coke?" He growled lowly. "You injected my brother. With cocaine."

The tanto began to dig into the man's neck by now.

"Mikey?" A voice called out.

Mikey only growled and glared harder at the man.

"Mike?" Raph was behind him now. He could hear Donnie working on the chains. He could also hear the way Leo whimpered at the movements.

"He injected him with cocaine. And then he tried to bleed him." Mikey drew his tanto back into his belt. Raph would decide what to do. If it were up to Mikey, the man would be dead.

He turned back to Donnie, who was just now finding the needle marks.

Leo spasmed again. Mikey helped Donnie stand him up. They could get him to the van outside.

Mikey heard Raph unsheathe his sai.

He and Donnie were outside the room with Leo now.

The man screamed, but it was cut short. A thud.

Mikey should have felt something. Remorse, maybe. But he didn't feel that. Didn't feel anything. Raph caught up with them with Leo's things. His once-blue mask was now mostly a rust color from the blood on it, and his swords needed cleaning.

Leo whimpered again and Donnie assured they would be there soon.

Raph ran ahead and opened the side door of the van once they reached the outside. Leo groaned in pain as they lowered him down. Raph took the wheel and Donnie checked Leo's vitals.

He had a raised heartbeat, his pupils were dilated, and the spasms weren't getting much better.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, Mikey. He's gonna be okay. Give it a couple weeks, and he'll be back to normal." Donnie answered.

Mikey could feel Don lying. Leo wouldn't be perfectly back to normal in a few weeks. He'd be jittery, sore, and sick. Mikey had seen the druggies in the alleyways. He knew what withdrawal was.

And yeah, maybe in a month Leo would be okay. He'd still have fits of anxiety and stress. He'd still get spams sometimes.

But it was Leo. Leo was strong.

And Mikey knew they would be okay. Raph would be okay. Donnie would be okay. Leo would be okay.

He wished they could be better than just 'okay.'

But Mikey would take what he could get. As long as they were 'okay' together.


	9. Walls

**I am almost out of drabbles. After this one there's only one more thats actually finished. I'm so sorry it took me this long to update, I know I suck.**

 **THANK YOU PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED. OML THAT WAS AMAZING. I LOVE LONG REVIEWS AND I JUST SQUEALED WITH JOY AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.**

 **I might be starting a new story, and there's a kind of teaser at the bottom of this chapter... But I don't know when I'll have the story up and finished... It's your choice if you want to read it.**

 **I'M SORRY I'M TIRED BUT I STILL DON'T OWN ANYTHING.**

* * *

It didn't take long before Leo and Raph realized the walls between their rooms were a bit thinner than the rest.

The new lair was nice, they had to admit. It was bigger than their last home, and Donnie quickly made new lights and air filtering systems. Mikey set up his video game tower. Raph claimed a corner in the dojo for his punching bag. Master Splinter occupied the large room and helped decorate the new dojo with Leo.

Donnie chose a big room for his lab, and a smaller one for his room. Mikey got a medium sized room, and put all of his action figures and comic books on the new shelves Donnie helped him make.

Leo didn't want to fight with Raph over the last two rooms, so he took the slightly smaller one and filled it with candles. Raph took the last room, hanging his posters up in no time.

Leo was in the first room, then Raph, Mikey, and finally Donnie.

It didn't take long before Leo and Raph realized the walls between their rooms were a bit thinner than the rest.

Leo woke up in the middle of the night to a loud rumbling sound. He grabbed his katanas and shot out the door, only to realize the rumbling sound was not as loud. He crept back into his room and leaned his head against the wall.

Wait, it was coming from the next room? But that was...

Raph. Of course his snoring sounded like a steamroller. But why was it so loud?

Leo pressed his hand against the wall and realized how hollow it felt. He sighed.

His katanas were put back in their place by the nightstand and he tried going back to sleep. It didn't take.

Annoyed, he wrote a note on a sticky note and placed it on Raph's door. ' _Your snoring is loud.'_

After placing the pillow over his head, Leo finally fell back asleep.

The next morning when Raph saw the note, he cocked an eye ridge and shrugged. The note would stay.

A few nights later, Raph found out just how thin the walls were when he heard Leo doing katas in his room. The yelling that signaled a new move was driving him off the edge. It was ten'o clock at night, and he had to be up in a couple hours to patrol with Casey.

He wrote a note on a sticky note like Leo did. He didn't want to let Leo know he was going out, so this seemed best. ' _Your yelling during katas is getting annoying.'_

He placed it on Leo's door on his way out.

When Leo saw the note, he rolled his eyes and took it down, only to stick it next to the first one on Raph's door.

They would have asked Donnie to fix it, but it was such a small thing compared to the work still needing to be done in the lair, so they silently agreed to keep it the way it was.

A muffled sneeze came from the wall and Leo automatically yelled "Bless you!" before he paused in his stretches and realized what just happened. He held his breath to see if Raph would answer back.

A confused "Thanks?" came through the wall and Leo face palmed. Hopefully it wouldn't be brought up later.

It wasn't brought up at all. Apparently another silent agreement had been made: What happens between the walls, stays between the walls.

Raph was using the punching bag in the dojo, so Leo meditated in his room. It was peaceful for about twenty minutes before a loud guitar solo pierced the silence with all the grace of an elephant trying to bowl with a tank.

Leo sat there for a few seconds in shock before glaring at the wall. This means war.

He walked over to his own beat box and searched for the right tape.

Finding the correct one, he entered it in the slot and pressed 'play.'

Leo didn't listen to rock often. It had been a few years, in fact. But this called for desperate measures.

The guitar and bass coming from the wall intensified. Leo turned up the volume on his to match.

Louder on the other side, louder on his side. Leo was surprised no one had come running to see what all the fuss was about.

The music was practically deafening now. Leo held one hand over his ear while the other cranked up the volume more. It wouldn't turn anymore. Leo had hit the max. Judging from the no longer increasing music from the wall, Raph had hit his max, too.

Then there was a small 'bang' from the wall a few seconds before Leo's speakers blew out with a 'bang' as well.

He stood in shocked silence for a beat. Then he couldn't help it. Leo burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. They had just blown out their speakers!

Laughter coming from the wall only made it harder to stop.

Mikey threw open the door, finding Leo rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter. He paused and backed out of the room slowly. This was most likely something he didn't want to be involved in.

The walls were more than a bit too thin, Leo found out.

It had been a fight. A nasty one. Leo said some things he shouldn't have, and Raph said some things he probably regretted as well.

It started when Raph had gone to Casey's without telling anyone. He came home at one-thirty to a worried and pacing Leo. Donnie had assured Raph had been moving from the tracker on his cell, so he wasn't dead. It wasn't fast enough to be in a truck. Mikey had worried as well, but Leo told him everything was fine and he'd wait for Raph to return.

That was at ten'o clock. Leo hadn't stopped pacing or worrying. So when he saw Raph sauntering in like nothing was wrong, he lost it.

Raph had retaliated, of course. It got nasty. Nastier than it had been in months. Raph ended it when he stormed up to his room and slammed the door. Leo shook his head and followed up to his own room. He'd said some regrettable things. Raph probably had, too.

It wasn't long before Leo heard stifled sobs coming from the wall. Carefully, he got out of bed and listened through the wall. Those were definitely sobs.

It saddened Leo to know he had been at least some of the cause for the cries.

His footsteps padded silently out his door and into the next room over. The sobs stopped for only a few seconds before they started again when Leo sat down next to Raph against the far wall. He apologized for overreacting and Raph apologized for not telling him where he was going.

They slept on Raph's floor that night. The silent agreement to say nothing was still intact.

Raph's door was nearly filled with notes by now. It had been months since Leo put the first one up there. The only clear spots were near the edges and door handle.

 _'You're going to poke an eye out with those things.'_

 _'Shut up Fearless.'_

 _'I do what I want.'_

 _'Fix that leaky pipe already it's driving me crazy.'_

 _'Stop leaving notes on my door.'_

 _'You first.'_

Were only a few. Mikey had asked about them once. Raph and Leo looked at each other and both said they had no idea what Mikey was talking about.

Leo could hear when Raph talked to Spike. He didn't say anything.

Raph heard when Leo woke up at midnight screaming from a nightmare. He didn't say anything.

They didn't have to. The looks they gave each other the next morning were enough.

It was just enough to show that even though they were at each other's neck most of the time, they still had each other's backs. No matter what.

 **Listen. okay so this next part is kind of maybe a teaser for a new story I MIGHT be in the process of writing. MAYBE. If I can get it finished and I like it enough to post it. I have no idea how long that would take me. Hopefully not years. HOPEFULLY NOT YEARS. I'm very unorganized.**

 **So if you want to read the teaser, go ahead. It kind of lines up with the story above.**

Leo lay awake in bed. He couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep for months. Not since Raph had been taken. Or killed.

It was too quiet. There were no snores, no loud music. Even the leaky pipe had been silent.

The sticky notes were starting to fall off of Raph's door by now. Raph must have been keeping them up there with tape or something before. No one wanted to pick them up, so they lay where they fell.

Donnie had searched for weeks. Mikey had asked every one of his strange friends to keep an eye out. Leo had tried contacting the spirit world nonstop to the point where Donnie had to almost force him to eat.

They found nothing. And when Splinter died... Leo wasn't sure how much more he could take. What had they done to deserve all this? He asked himself everyday.

With only three left in their family of five, they had to move forward. Leo started training back up again. Donnie focused on new inventions. Mikey mapped out more of the sewers.

The system was returning even though there were cracks in it.

And then Mikey didn't come back one day. Donnie searched frantically for any sign of him. Leo tried contacting the spirit world and asked Mikey's friends if they'd seen any sign of him. No one had.

Something wasn't adding up. They were worrying themselves to death for the four days it took Donnie to hear a small 'ping' on his computer. Mikey's cell signal had activated. An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town was where the signal took them.

The pinging left after two hours, but Donnie had locked the location by then. It was a five hour drive before they pulled up at the place.

Leo looked up at the building. There were lights on. That meant there were people inside.

They slipped inside an air vent undetected, with Donnie in front. The lights began going off after ten minutes, and it took them another five minutes to find an opening big enough for them to exit through.

They landed silently on the dirt floor. Wait, dirt?

Donnie seemed just as confused as he brought out a flashlight and tossed it to Leo, who caught it easily even in the dark.

He flicked it on, revealing what looked to be an arena. Donnie gasped at the amount of dried blood there was. It covered the floor and the wooden walls used as a barrier. Past the walls were seats that reminded Leo of a baseball stadium. The place was not sanitary, and certainly not legal.

Which meant they needed to find Mikey, now.

Leo shined the light around and found a large wooden door. Dust flew up as they sprinted across the arena to it.

Leo wasted no time in ramming the door off it's hinges, Donnie following. They flew down the hall, checking for cameras. There were none, only confirming Leo's suspicions of it being an illegal hideout.

Donnie rammed the next door, revealing several cages in a dark room. Leo almost coughed at the smell, but held it back.

"Mikey?" Donnie called.

"Don?" A voice answered back. That... wasn't Mikey.

Leo stepped forward and shined the light where the voice had come from. The brightness landed on a thin, tall cage.

Large eyes blinked back at the light, but didn't shrink away. The figure was leaned over as far as the bars would allow into the next cage over.

Leo took a step back. "Raph?" He breathed. "Y-you were-"

"Dead, I know." Raph snapped. "Get over here and help Mike, he's hurt."

Donnie got over his shock faster than his brother and rushed for the lock. It took him a little longer to pick, but it was open in no time. Donnie carefully dragged out Mikey's limp body. He was bleeding from various patterned cuts and more bruises than Donnie cared to see on his baby brother.

"Raph, what happened to him?" He asked.

Raph stood up and glared at a cage across from him. "Yeah, Raul. What happened to him?"

"Hey," A low voice growled. "The kid wouldn't fight back. I had to end the fight before they got the sticks out. He's just got a little concussion, that's all."

Raph growled back. "I told you I'd kill you. I'm not one for empty threats."

Leo could only stand there. This was a side of Raph he hadn't wanted to see for a very long time.

 **okay. If you read this and you liked it, let me know. It's pretty much an unfinished thing and it will probably stay unfinished, and I know you're about as confused as Leo is. I'll finish Silver Linings first, then do this story if that's okay? Unless y'all just want this right now. The story to go with this is still in the works though. I don't even have a title for it...**

 **This is probably a bad idea, but I need someone to keep me on track. kik me ladygirlbug. my name is captain major lieutenant trookigrimp for the moment; I change it to something random about every week :)**


	10. Music

Okay. Alrighty. I leave for camp tomorrow morning at 6a.m. for a week. I decided that this long chapter is my parting gift to you! I hope you like it. Really.

I listened to that mother fucking song for the two and a half hours it took me to write this. On repeat. I wanted to die. Or kill someone. Either one would have sufficed.

Thank you Yukio87! I will take your advice and wait until I have everything together, that way I'm not spread too thin and blah.

I'm not too enthusiastic tonight if you haven't noticed, I'm just going through some stuff, but it won't affect my writing. Hopefully. There might just be some more melancholy themes or something like that. Yay, angst.

With that, I give you this wonderfully happy chapter!

I still don't own anything. Why must I do this?

* * *

26 Music- Mikey decides to prank his brothers. It was funny at first. Then annoying. Then it was just plain torture.

Mikey snickered. The prank was set. If only Donnie was here to witness Raph's face... But he had gone on a trip with Splinter for the week. And they were sealed in with no way out just to make sure no one did anything stupid.

*cough* Raph *cough*

Mikey knew he wasn't supposed to be in Don's lab, but Donnie-boy should've thought of that before he locked every exit to the surface.

Besides, he needed the speaker system and a download on the computer for this to work.

He cranked the volume all the way up and covered his ears as he hit 'play.'

The Nyan Cat theme song played loudly throughout the lair. Mikey laughed. It would play for ten full hours before stopping. He distantly heard both brothers yell his name in anger and decided it was time to lock the door. In his excitement, he didn't notice when he bumped the volume switch hard enough for it to break off. Which it did.

Raph was so startled he almost dropped the weights he was lifting onto his neck. "Mikeyyy!"

Leo jerked out of meditation. He had been in such a deep trance, it had been months since he was that peaceful. "Mikey!"

Raph stormed past the dojo as Leo was coming out. The blue-banded turtle quickly caught up and kept pace with his brother.

They both arrived at Don's lab and Leo tried the door handle. "It's locked!" He yelled over the infuriatingly annoying music.

Raph tried the handle as well before trying to break down the door with his shoulder. "That's not going to work!" Leo yelled. "Remember? Don made the door impossible to get through for security reasons!"

"Well how are we supposed to get the speakers to shut up? The control panel is inside! Probably with Mikey!"

They stared at each other for a second.

"Mikey! Open this door right now!"

"Mike, if you don't get this door open in five seconds I'm gonna punch your shell in!"

"This is an order, Mikey!"

"Five, four three, two, one! That's it! You're dead!"

"Open the door!

"Open it now!"

Mikey snickered from the other side. Nope, they were going to have to wait until the full ten hours was up. Besides, he couldn't stop it. He didn't know how. Don's computer-y stuff was way too confusing for anyone but the genius himself.

The shouts of anger and door banging stopped after ten minutes. Maybe they got bored and were trying to find a way out of the lair, or maybe they had just given up.

Mikey shuffled closer to the door. He wished he could hear what was going on outside, but the music was just too loud.

He slowly unlocked the door and opened it just enough to poke his head out. His brothers were no where to be seen. maybe they had found a way out? Mikey crept through the doorway until he was standing fully outside Don's lab.

Raph gave a battle cry and let go of the rafters on the ceiling, landing on Mikey's shell with an 'umph' as Leo jumped down next to them and bolted for the open door.

Raph got off his brother and followed at the same pace. Leo had his hands on his head in bewilderment.

"How do you work this thing!?" He yelled over the music.

Raph threw his arms around with wide eyes. "How am I supposed to know!? Donnie's the only one who can work anything around here!"

They stared at each other for a second.

"Mikey! Get your shell in here!"

Mikey peeked his head in and gave a girly scream when Raph pulled him the rest of the way in.

Leo had a hand on his face and another on his hip. "Mikey, tell us how to turn it off."

The orange-banded turtle waved his arms in surrender. "Hey, I only know the 'on' switch! Besides, the song should run out soon..."

"How soon?" Raph growled.

"Uhh..." Mikey twisted the tip of his foot around on the floor. "Ten hours?"

"Ten hours!"

"Hey, hey! At least it won't last the entire week!"

Raph huffed and stormed out the door. Leo was close to banging his head on the wall but instead followed Raph out. Mikey grinned. The looks on their faces were worth it.

*One hour later*

Mikey wanted it off. The song was starting to annoy even _him_ at this point. Icecream kitty wasn't much help to take his mind off of the song, mostly because he was _singing along_ with it.

Raph had his hands over his ears, trying to block out the stupid tune. He wanted to hit something, but that would require him to take his hands away from his head.

Leo couldn't meditate. It was _impossible_ to do with that song on. It was starting to grate on his nerves, and if Don hadn't locked every single exit for 'security measures', Leo knew the lair would be completely empty. On the bright side, with everything closed off no one around the lair could hear a thing.

Lucky them.

*Three hours later*

Mikey was yelling at the top of his lungs to keep the tune out, but it only worked so much. He had tried to at least turn it down, but the volume switch was broken.

Raph was wearing the winter earmuffs and hitting his punching bag as hard as he could. He couldn't even focus on anything else, the song was so freaking loud.

Leo thought he was starting to go crazy. If that song stayed on for another five minutes, he was going to lose it. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts!

*Five hours later*

Mikey had hidden in the bathroom because it was the only room in the lair without a speaker, but it still came through the door way too loud for his liking.

Raph slammed his hands on the couch and grabbed his cell. Dialing Casey's number, he held the phone close to his ear and clamped a hand over his other ear.

"Casey, you better pick up this time, I swear..."

"You've reached Casey, but I'm not answerin' at the moment. Leave a message!"

Raph yelled in anger and kicked the coffee table.

Leo was rocking back and forth. The infernal tune was still going on. He couldn't meditate, couldn't sleep, nothing. Raph's punching bag was starting to look like a good idea.

*One hour later*

Leo was sitting next to Raph on the couch, dialing April's number. Mikey was dialing Donnie's number. Raph was still trying to get a hold of Casey.

"Why isn't anyone picking up!?" Mikey yelled over the tune.

"I don't know! Just keep trying!"

"I've BEEN trying for the past two hours! Where ARE they!?"

"Raph, I don't- April!" Leo shot to his feet. "April, can you hear me!? We have an emergency!"

"Slow down, Leo, what's wrong? Is it the Foot? Bishop?"

"No April! It's worse! Much worse!"

"What could possibly- what's that in the background? Are you having a party?"

"NO! This is not a party! I repeat, NOT a party! This is torture! You gotta help us, April!"

"Okay, I'll get Casey out of bed and we'll be right over!"

Leo sighed in relief. He turned around to two expectant brothers. "It's okay! April's coming over with Casey, she just has to wake him up!" He yelled over the tune.

Raph's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me he's been sleeping all day?!"

Mikey tried calling Donnie again. No answer. "Maybe April will know how to get it to stop!"

"We can only hope!" Leo agreed.

Suddenly, the music started getting quieter.

"Is it over?" Raph asked.

The tune quieted to a stop. The three brothers cheered. Then, it started back up again from the beginning.

They whirled on Mikey. "What is this!?"

"Hey, I don't know! All I know is- Oh no."

"What!?"

"Uh... I might have accidentally played it on a loop..."

They both yelled in frustration and buried their heads under the couch pillows. Mikey sighed and tried calling Donnie again.

*One hour later*

Leo's cell rang. He wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't staring at the screen like his life depended on it.

"Yes! April, what is it!?"

"Uh, Leo? We can't find a way in. It seems that everything is blocked off from the inside. I don't think I can hack through it without Donnie, so are you okay to wait until he gets back?"

"No! Please April, he gets back at the end of the week! I can't wait that long! Mikey's starting to go crazy and Raph isn't even looking at anything anymore!"

"What's going on, Leo? What's wrong?"

"Hold on just a second!"

Leo stomped over to the stairs and held the phone as close to the speaker as he could. After a minute he brought the phone back to his ear and stomped to the couch again.

"That! That is what's wrong, April! We need help!"

Leo only heard laughter from the other end.

"What!? What's so funny!"

"Nothing, it's just-" A giggle, "That's the torture? The Nyan Cat tune?"

"Yes!"

"What's so bad about that?"

"It's been playing for the past eleven hours, that's what's so bad! My sanity is leaving me!"

"..."

"April? Are you there?"

"Uh, yeah, that is some torture... Listen, I'll help try to get a hold of Donnie, alright?"

Leo sighed. "Okay! Thanks for trying to help, April! Tell Casey we say hi!"

"No problem! See ya!"

Leo felt as though he was about to bash his own head in. If this kept up for much longer...

*One day later*

Donnie and Splinter walked casually back to the lair through the sewers.

"Thanks again for taking me out there to get these herbs. With all these combinations, I could create so many remedies."

Splinter laughed a little bit. "It was no problem, my son. I hope your brothers haven't gotten into any trouble while we were away."

Donnie hefted his backpack higher on his shoulder. "Knowing them? Trouble is their middle name. I just hope they don't mind us coming back five days early. And maybe they saw the note on the fridge for the lock down switch. I wish I'd brought my cell with me, then I could at least call them."

Splinter smiled and nodded. "Yes, I- do you hear that?"

Donnie strained his ears. "Not yet, maybe if we got closer... What does it sound like?"

Splinter made a few cautious steps forward. "I think... It is a cat meowing with a catchy tune in the background."

Donnie made a face. "What?"

Splinter took off at a faster pace, determined to find the source with Donnie right behind him.

When they reached the entrance, Donnie was more confused. "Why haven't they unlocked the door by now?" He wondered aloud.

He quickly typed the code and realized what Master Splinter was talking about. The Nyan Cat song was playing on full blast all throughout the lair. Donnie's eye twitched.

A few of the intercom speakers were impaled with knives and shirukin alike, still playing loudly. The door to the bathroom lay in pieces on the floor next to the couch, which had been overturned. The pillows looked like they had been ripped apart in a fight. The doorknob to his lab was missing, and the note he left on the fridge had fallen off in a way that made it stick out half-way from under a cabinet.

Splinter's ears were back because of the noise. "Boys!"

Donnie shrugged off his backpack into a corner just in time to see three shapes dart past him towards Master Splinter.

"Thank god you're back!"

"He tried to kill me!"

"This has been driving me insane!"

"He broke the door!"

"I'm leaving, thanks for getting the door open!"

"I'm out too!"

"Nice to see you back, Master Splinter, I'd better go with them!"

And then they were gone.

Splinter turned slowly to his only remaining son. "Is there a chance you could turn this off?"

Donnie nodded, still a little shocked at the ruins of their furniture.

He made his way to the lab and pushed a few buttons, effectively silencing the annoying tune.

Donnie padded his way back to Splinter in the too-quiet lair. "Um. Should we wait for them to get back and clean this up, or...?"

Splinter nodded. "Uh, yes. But I think they will be the ones cleaning tonight. I'm going to meditate, perhaps you should follow them?"

"Yeah. Good idea." Donnie ran after his brothers into the night, only to find them on a roof five minutes later, Raph and Mikey asleep against a water tower while Leo kept watch.

"We're in trouble, aren't we." Leo said it as a statement, still facing the city.

"Yeah." Donnie replied. "What happened while we were gone?"

"Mikey pulled a prank, it was only supposed to last ten hours, but it went wrong and played for pretty much the entire time you were gone. Mikey hid in the bathroom because it has no speaker, Raph realized this and broke the door down trying to get in. Then I maybe helped them impale the speakers and flip the couch over to make a cave. We fought over the biggest pillow and it ripped, leaving only two, which we also destroyed." Leo glanced at their sleeping brothers.

"And then I maybe ripped off the handle to your lab... Mikey wouldn't let anyone else in. I think it's under the couch. Unless it's in the bathroom; Raph tried to kill Mikey with it." Leo chuckled only a tiny bit.

"And we didn't sleep the entire time. We couldn't get out because of the lock down, and April couldn't find a way in. We were hiding in the dojo because Raph found the wire to the speaker in there and cut it."

Donnie whistled low. "That's a lot of destruction over a song."

Leo looked him dead in the face. "Torture, Don. That. Was. Torture."

Donnie nodded. "But, you know, I left the code to open the lock down on the fridge. It must have fallen off before any of you could see it."

Leo's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that we could have escaped at any time?"

Donnie nodded again.

Leo sat down. "I quit. Goodnight, Don."

Donnie chuckled. "Goodnight, Leo."

He sat down next to his sleeping brothers, and listened to the music of the city.


	11. Train

He knows he's going to die. And he's scared, too- who wouldn't be? But he's really more calm than he should've been. After all, he promised Leo to the end of the line. But Leo's already got off, see, and Raph missed the stop. He's already late, and he'd hate to keep Leo waiting.

"Leo?"

"Yeah, Raph?"

"What do you think life is? Like what does it remind you of?"

"I don't think I know what you're saying."

"I mean, it's like a rope or something. And the end of your rope is when you die."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I think it's like a train ride. Like in the subway."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and all the big moments are the stops. The people you meet get on and off at each stop, from when you meet them to when you let them go."

"And when you die?"

"When you die? Well, that's the end of the line."

"Leo?"

"Yeah, Raph?"

"I promise I'll be here. 'Till the end of the line."

"'Till the end of the line."

Raph heaved his last leg over the side of the building and collapsed onto his back. It was stupid. He knew it was. It was stupid to come out here, stupid to pick a fight with the biggest gang he could find, stupid to smash his cell in anger, stupid to lose his weapons, stupid, stupid, stupid.

Leo would tell him that in some sort of big-worded speech of his. Something like 'idiocy' or 'unintelligent.'

Raph never was one for big words. If you got something to say, don't cover it up with complications, just say it.

Like now, for example. Some might say he was 'bleeding out' or 'fading from life.'

Err- Wrong. Dying. Raph was dying. Ain't no hiding it, either. Not like Leo tried to do.

Tried to hide it. Hide that he'd been shot in the arm. No, the artery. Hide that he was bleeding to death.

Hide that he was dying.

And he did. Leo died. Right there, on the roof. Raph had been there. Only Raph, actually.

He hated Leo for that. Hated that he could be so selfish. To die when they still needed him.

And their faces when he had to tell them...

It was almost too much. Almost.

It was too much when Mikey got angry and hit him. It was too much when Donnie broke down.

It was definitely too much when Mikey had yelled at him. Raph knew it was the grief talking, that he didn't mean it, but... The grief was a mean talker.

Raph decided he didn't like grief. It made people do stupid things. Like go out and try to fight everyone. And then barely have the energy to climb up a building.

Raph moved his hands and looked down. Their shells could only do so much as far as protection went. Evidently, they couldn't protect against a sharpened pipe that was thrust into them as hard as possible.

Hopefully Mikey wouldn't be too angry at him. Hopefully Don wouldn't stop functioning.

Raph was dying, and he knew it.

It had always scared him, the thought of death. And who wouldn't be scared?

But he's more calm than he thinks he should be. Maybe it's his stop.

After all, Raph promised Leo to the end of the line. But Leo's already got off, see, and Raph missed the stop.

Raph didn't feel the wound in his stomach anymore. He didn't feel anything.

He's already late. And he'd hate to keep Fearless waiting.

"'Till the end of the line," He breathed.

He breathed no more.


	12. Peacekeeper

I'm so so so sorry for taking so long, I was updating the last one as I was leaving the house and that's why it has no note! But I got AMAZING reviews on it even though it wasn't touched up!

5Mississippis: AUGH THANK YOUU! I can always count on you to be the first one to review XD Let me know if you want a specific chapter because I'd be totally ecstatic to do one for you!

Yukio87: I love your long reviews so friggin much like you don't even know! My sister gave me some strange looks while I pranced around the living room with happiness when I read it XD Thank you!

Alrighty this is some (I don't wanna say half-assed but it's pretty half-assed) story that I dug up, and it's kinda ooc. And has a crappy ending. And no real plot. But the spelling and grammar are pretty good! I hope! Also I'm just curious, if you actually read this stuff I write up here, leave something of a review? It can be like 'X' and that'd be fine. Gosh you guys are awesome!

Thank you to who followed or faved! It makes me happy to see those, too!

Whoops didn't do this last time... I don't own anything.

* * *

10 Peacekeeper- When Leo and Raph go too far in a fight, Donnie breaks them up every time. It may be why Mikey made the codeword: Peacekeeper.

When they were little and Splinter was in deep meditation, Raph and Leo fought. A lot. It was over the stupidest things, like who was taller, whose turn it was to play with the toy, whether or not 'Space Heroes' was better as a show or a movie.

Sometimes it ended with a slammed door. Sometimes it ended when Splinter came out and demanded to know what was going on. But mostly, it ended with a fist-fight.

And often, Mikey was the only one in the room with them. Donnie was usually trying to tune them out while fixing their toaster or refrigerator, whatever kept his hands busy. So Mikey tried breaking up the fights with distractions, but he wasn't always able to get in the middle of things.

When that happened, he would run for Donnie. Donnie was the only one other than Splinter who could break it up.

The fights started getting more intense and happened more often than usual. So Donnie told Mikey to use a codeword for when things got too heated. 'Peacekeeper.'

The word helped Donnie understand what was happening faster and break it up sooner.

Splinter began keeping a closer eye on them, and Leo and Raph didn't want to upset their father.

Mikey hadn't had to use the code word in years.

But Splinter was gone now.

Which is why Mikey was sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the fight going on in the next room. Someone had to keep them in check. Even if that someone didn't have the authority to do so.

"I can do this on my own! Why are you always riding my ass when I try going out!?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because the Purple Dragons and Shredder are looking for us!? Use your head, Raphael! Even you aren't that stupid!"

"Well you sure seem to think so! Poor little Raphael can't do anything on his own because he's too big of an idiot to think his way outta situations! Let me tell you Leo, I was doin' just fine on my own!"

"You got shot Raph! How is that 'just fine'?!"

"That was months ago! And I was taking the shot for you, jackass!"

"I didn't ask you to!"

"Well I'm so sorry for tryin' to help! You know what? Maybe you're just better off with out me!"

"Maybe I am!"

The sound of weapons being drawn was the last straw.

Mikey decided enough was enough. He ran for Donnie's lab.

Don looked up at the door as it practically slammed open. "Mikey, what have I told you about-"

"Peacekeeper."

Don's eyes widened and he was up like a shot, Mikey trailing behind.

It was clear to Donnie when he got there that the fight was about to escalate drastically.

"Hey!" Don yelled. He didn't yell often, and when he did, his brothers listened.

"What are you doing?! Put those away!" Raph and Leo dropped their weapons to the floor.

"Good. Now what is going on out here?"

Mikey went back to his spot at the table. It was times like these he was glad he had Donnie with them. Without him, they would have torn each other to shreds.

He relaxed. Donnie made them make up, and they were awkwardly apologizing now. He couldn't even imagine where they would be without their Peacekeeper.


	13. Mr Wrong

First thing's first I'm a realist.

Lol I kid I just haven't slept in two days and my sleep deprived brain decided it's about time to dig something up to post since I haven't finished anything recent.

This is from... idek when tbh. BUT I hope you like it anyway! Even though it has no real chapter name! I just made it up!

Yukio87: AHHHH YOU'RE ALWAYS SO INSPIRATIONAL AND SHIT I LOVE ITTTT! THAT NEW IDEA OF YOURS WILL COME UP SOON! AS SOON AS I GET A SITUATION AND PLOT TOGETHER!

5Mississippis: I don't even have to look to see if I've gotten your name right anymore! I'm so happy you're like a regular at a restaurant if this story were a restaurant! I'm trying to make sense and I'm failing miserably! I haven't slept in two days! Lol why is it that every time I see one of your reviews my sister is around to stare at me while I squeal with joy? You must be magic!

Roxygoth: Your name is familiar to me... somehow... ANYWAYS thank you soooo much for your review! I'm bad with names but I'm sure I've seen yours before. I'll figure it out... maybe after I get some sleep... BUT HEY if you like Donnie, I can write more Donnie!

Okie dokie guys I apologize in advance, my recent stories have like not nearly as much detail as I'd like them to. But here's this anyway.

THIS was not going to be this long. It was tiny. A tiny baby drabble. And then I touched up some stuff and left the end stupid, as always.

I'm sorry Donnie. I'm so sorry for how I butchered your character. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

ENJOY I LOVE YOU ALL

* * *

I'm not here to prove you wrong- that eventuality is just a bonus.

Raph sat on the edge of the building, next to a stone statue. He and Leo had gotten into it again, and though he'd never admit it, Raph knew Leo had a point. Running around was bound to get him into trouble, and it had.

His shoulder was bleeding badly. The cut was hard to see because of the dark night and the drizzle of rain. It wasn't life threatening, and if it weren't for his pride, Raph would have fixed it up back at the lair.

But Leo was at the lair. And Raph didn't want him to know he'd been right.

Raph sensed someone coming up behind him and tensed, but then relaxed again when he realized it was Leo. He couldn't help the feeling of anger that he'd been found.

"What is it, Fearless? Come here to say 'I told you so'?" There was no fire in his voice, but the anger was still there.

Leo sat down next to him, neither looking at the other. "I'm not here to prove you wrong- that eventuality is just a bonus."

Raph snorted.

"I'm here to tell you that you can come home. It's been two days, Raph. We're all starting to worry."

"I'm sure you are."

"Don't be that way, Raph. We miss you. You don't need to prove a point. It's clear you can take care of yourself. Just come home."

"I will."

"When?" Leo turned to look at his brother for the first time that night. "We haven't heard from you. Mikey insists you're okay, and Don thinks you might be dead. I don't know what to think. I didn't mean to drive you out of there, I didn't know you would try to prove anything to me, because we both know you don't need to."

"I know."

"What is it, huh? What's it going to take to get you home?"

Raph didn't answer. He just kept staring out at the city.

"Are you tuning me out now? This isn't a lecture, Raph, this is an apology. We need you home- I need you home."

Raph still didn't answer. He seemed zoned out.

"Is that how it's going to be? Just ignore me. Not like I had anything to say anyway." He stood up to leave.

"Wait."

Leo turned back around. "Yeah?"

"Uh... I think I'm bleeding." Raph had to steady himself to keep from falling off the edge.

Leo was at his side in a second. "What? Where? How bad is it?" He pulled Raph back from the ledge and sat him on the gravel of the roof.

"Um. My arm. And... I won't die. Just a little... bleeding."

Leo found the cut. Raph was right, it wouldn't kill him, but it was bleeding a little more than he'd like. "Okay. Let's go get you fixed up."

Leo slung Raph's good arm over his shoulders to keep him up. He helped Raph down the ladder of the building and then again on the ladder to the sewers. They walked in silence for a while before Raph spoke up.

"You were right."

"What?" That was the last thing he expected to come from Raph.

"I got hurt. And I needed help. I shouldn't have stormed out like that."

"How much blood have you lost?"

"Enough."

They approached the lair's entrance.

"Donnie!" Leo yelled, dropping Raph off on the couch, where he stayed.

Donnie peeked out of his lab, still wide awake. "What? Is it Raph? He's back? He's hurt?"

Leo nodded.

"Let me get my kit."

Don came out a few seconds later with his first aid kit in hand. "How bad is he?"

"He's delusional."

"Hey! I'm fine."

Donnie inspected the gash. "It needs about ten stitches. Maybe twelve. A transfusion would be better, but he should be just fine by tomorrow afternoon."

Leo nodded with his arms crossed. "Okay. Is Mike asleep?"

Donnie answered as he stitched up Raph's arm. "He's in bed, but I can't say he's actually sleeping. You know how he gets..."

"Yeah. I know. I'll tell him in a few minutes. He'll stay in the infirmary with Raph, but maybe then he'll get some sleep."

"I'm right here, you know."

Donnie patted Raph's uninjured arm. "We know. All done, off to the infirmary with you." He got up to put the kit away in his lab.

"But-"

"No buts." Leo said firmly. "I'll go tell Mike. Chances are he'll keep you company."

"... Fine."

"And Raph?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm your brother first. You don't need to prove your abilities to me. I know you're strong enough, it's just that..."

"I know. My turtle luck gets me in trouble."

A small smile of understanding passed between them.

"Goodnight, Raph."

"Night, Leo."


	14. Mystery

I took a nap. But my sleep deprived ass came up with this one, eh? I hope ya'll like it, I wrote it tonight and it's longer than the last one, but not by much.

WE HIT 40 REVIEWS TODAY, GUYS. 40. YASSSSSSS THANK YOU SO MUUCCCHHHH!

I forgot what I even posted yesterday. Completely slipped my mind. But it must've been okay, judging by these awesome reviews!

5Mississippis: Thank yoouuuu! Yeah he seems to do that a lot, doesn't he? Or he will in future stories... I'm not nearly as organized as I seem, heh heh...

Yukio87: I GOT THE IDEA TOGETHER! JUST GOTTA PUT IT ON PAPER, ER, COMPUTER DOCUMENT NOW! THANK YOU FOR THE SOCK IDEA lol IT INSPIRED THE NAP! I LOVE YOUR LONG REVIEWS THEY EXCITE ME SOOO MUCH YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!

Roxygoth: Would you like to become an honorary regular? Because that would be awesome. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING. My email showed up with just one review but then I clicked on it and it was actually three reviews, so that was AMAZING. Thank you for being here :D

Me: *At Dave's house who owns 67 dogs* Hey what do you call a fly with no wings

Dave: I swear Kevin don't do it

Me: a WALK!

*We both die in a tidal wave of dogs*

I don't own anything. EXCEPT for spoon

* * *

17\. Mystery- Leo isn't quite sure why he does it. But it happens, just the same.

It was a mystery as to why he did it. Why Leo woke up around 3:30 a.m. just to walk around and check on his brothers.

They were always fine, sleeping in their rooms.

Okay, that wasn't true. Donnie pulled all-nighters sometimes, and the latest record for Raph coming home was five in the morning. Mikey just couldn't put down his comics or was watching something on his cell.

And Leo couldn't judge, as they had all made clear to him when he asked what they were still doing awake.

'Couldn't I ask you the same thing?' Donnie would reply.

'Dude, you certainly aren't sleepwalking, and I'm not even tired.' Was Mikey's response.

'Shut up.' Was the usual answer from Raph.

But nights like tonight, when they were all asleep at once, were rare. And Leo cherished them.

Maybe he did it because it was what their Father had done for them. Maybe he did it to make sure they weren't getting murdered silently in their rooms.

But it was probably the first reason.

He crept out his own door without a thought. His steps were silent against the floor as he made his way to the closest room: Raph's.

He smiled slightly at the notes on the door. He'd put one up about the leaky pipe later.

The door opened without a creak and Leo poked his head in. The smile dropped when he saw his brother twitch in his sleep. Another nightmare. He was just deciding on staying or leaving when Raph bolted awake so hard he fell out of his hammock with a small yelp.

Leo only stared as Raph looked up, feeling someone watching him. Their eyes met for a moment, masks down. Then Raph shook his head as if to clear it and gave him a look that said 'Seriously? Again?'

Leo muttered a 'sorry' and closed the door as soon as Raph was back in his hammock.

He sighed. He'd never walked in on a moment like that. Next time, he would stay. Make sure his brother wasn't worrying about something that hadn't happened.

Next, Mikey's room. His door was the trickiest. It stuck to the top of the door-frame and the latch was squeaky. In the early days of Leo's early morning room checks, it had woken his youngest brother up and earned him a 'What the shell, dude?' look.

Now, though, it proved to be no problem. He pulled back from the latch and down on the handle, releasing the door and latch without a sound.

Mikey was sound asleep, curled up with his blanket and teddy bear. Klunk slept at the end of the bed, out of kicking distance. Everything was okay here. He closed the door with the same silence as he did opening it, and moved further down and past Donnie's room.

The room of his purple-banded brother was nearly never occupied. The last time anyone was even in there was when an excited Mikey and a not as enthusiastic Raph needed extra pillows and blankets for their fort by the couch.

Needless to say, the room remained empty. Leo hopped quietly down the stairs to the lab, stopping by the couch to grab an old woolen blanket and one of the larger pillows.

As he suspected, Donnie was leaned over his computer, face on the keyboard. On the screen, multiple 'F's made their way across the page he must have been typing.

He set the blanket aside. Leo was no genius when it came to electronics, but he knew enough to save whatever work Don had been doing, 'F's and all. With that done, he turned off the computer, eliminating the soft glow around the room.

Despite popular belief, Donnie was the hardest to wake up, not Mikey. Leo blamed it on the way his brother would run himself ragged, refusing sleep even when it plagued him the most.

It was a blessing and a curse, but the sleep deprivation let Leo move Donnie's head off the keyboard and onto the pillow, with the blanket draped around his body to top it off.

Don would notice it in a couple hours when he woke up. He would tell Leo to stop getting up at the butt-crack of dawn just to make him feel comfortable. Leo would just shrug and go back to doing whatever he was doing.

Leo closed the lab door on his way out. Maybe his brothers could sleep in for a change. He would make them breakfast, but it seemed the kitchen appliances hated him. Maybe they could call a truce, just for this morning.

He made his way back up the stairs. He had until five to wake up and he begin meditation and warm-ups on his own.

Donnie's door remained quiet, as always. Mikey's was stoic as ever. Raph's didn't make a sound as he passed it.

But as he reached his own door, Raph's opened just in the slightest.

"Leo?" A whisper.

"Yeah, Raph. I'm here."

"Ya shouldn't keep doing this every morning. Get some sleep once in a while, idiot."

"Whatever you say."

A grunt, and the door closed.

Leo smiled as he stepped into his own room, sealing off the outside.

Yeah, they could sleep in. And Leo could brave the kitchen toaster. It might not turn into a volcano, just this once.

It could have been out of habit that he made sure they were fine in the early morning. It could have been that he was just making himself feel secure. Or maybe it was just that he cared about his brothers.

Yeah, that was it.

Maybe it wasn't such a mystery, after all.


	15. Solo

I'm sorry. This one is short. as. fuck.

Leo has been giving me some problems after that last chapter, so maybe we can work things out for the next one. Donnie still hates me for writing him badly that one chapter... and Mikey is just refusing to take anything seriously.

So that leaves Raph. Again.

Yukio87: I will get on writing that new chapter for you! I LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM. I LOVE IT. Thank youu!

Roxygoth: Thank you! So much! I really like how you tell me exactly what you think of it, and I look forward to future reviews!

5Mississippis: I know how much you love Leo and I thought of you as I was writing it! I'll really try to get more Leo chapters, and yukio87's idea will probably center around him, if not in some of his perspective.

Guest/DarkHeartedOne: YAYYY NEW PERSON and yeah totally tell me exactly what you want and I'll write it best I can! I love the idea you said, I can picture it now, maybe write it soon, too! I AM SO HAPPY YOU LIKE THIS. Also yeah I've kind of written it, but get this: yesterday I found a story with kinda the almost same situation, so that idea has been stowed away. I can find it and mention it to you later, but it's incomplete.

11 Solo- Raph decides being alone and being lonely are two very different things. He likes going solo, he really does. But sometimes it's nice to be followed.

Raph let out an angry yell and hit the sewer wall closest to him. Who was Leo to question what he did every night? He beat up thugs, rescued damsels in distress! There was no 'other hobby' he took part in, and he certainly wasn't 'seeing' anyone.

Why couldn't Leo just lay off for a night?

Raph began climbing the ladder up to the surface. He peeked through the manhole and decided it was safe.

Tonight would be a definite beat-down night. All he had to do was find something.

*Two Hours Later*

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Nothing. There was nothing. New York City on a Thursday night, and throughout the entire city, there. Was. Nothing.

No thugs. No damsels in distress.

A peaceful night.

Well, things were about to get pretty un-peaceful real soon if somebody didn't start _disturbing_ the peace.

Litterers. Nope, not criminal enough. Loiterers. Nope, nothing to see here. Public nudity... Not his thing.

What's it take for some violence around here? Maybe he could take his anger out on the guy who's been following him for the past two and a half hours.

But it wasn't Leo, he would have started lecturing by now. It couldn't be Donnie, he was working on that new bright light thingy. Master Splinter, don't even think about it. Casey and April were visiting the farmhouse. An enemy would have attacked over two hours ago.

So that left Mikey. And no way was Raph going to take his anger out on Mikey, of all people. So he just kept running around, looking for bad guys to fight.

There were none. It would be better to just go back to the lair and face 'the wrath of Leo.' Better now than later.

"Mikey, I'm heading back now. I'll give you a five minute head start before I go so Leo doesn't get on both our asses. Get to bed, it's almost four." Raph yelled at nothing.

He heard a slight shuffling and a muffled 'Okay.'

Five minutes later he began his walk back to the lair.

Sometimes it was good to be alone. Going solo was his thing.

But other times, times like these, it was nice to know someone had your back.

ATTENTION: I got grounded for a week, I took my tablet so I could tell y'all the old fashioned way, before I had a computer. So the next update could be quite a while away since this was the last thing I wrote... I apologize for the delay.


	16. Action

Very short. 50 REVIEWS GUYS THATS MORE THAN ANY STORY I'VE EVER DONE AND MAYBE I SHOULD USE THIS AS A LESSON TO STAY ON TOP OF THINGS AND WRITE CONSISTENTLY AND FINISH WHAT I START BUT THATS PROBABLY NOT GONNA HAPPEN BECAUSE I SUCK AT BEING A PERSON.

I'm BAAACK! I was really behind on my writing when I got grounded, and that just set me back even more... But I've got some new stories in the works!

Yukio87: I hope you did well on your exams! And as for what I did, (Or didn't do) Dishes. I didn't do the dishes. And then that same week I got grounded from the car because that battery died on my watch. BUT HEY I'M STILL LIVIN RIGHT

Roxygoth: I just am really glad to hear your input like every time, if there's anyone you want me to write, just tell me and I'll do my best!

BlueberryJamSam: Blueberry Jam Sam. I don't even know how to respond to anything, I was literally reading it laughing my head off because it was early morning and it was just... perfect. Thank you so much for even reviewing on my past chapters, it makes me go back and incorporate the things I put there into other stories... I'll have to write a story about unicorns now just for you LOL.

I'M SORRY ITS THE SHORTEST PIECE OF SCHIST YET. MIGHT BE THAT WAY FOR A FEW CHAPTERS. AND SAD. LOTSA ANGST.

I don't own anything. This one is called shutupisweariwillhurtyou in my files because I deleted it. Accidentally.

* * *

9 Action- Raph and Mikey can't sit still, they're take action kind of people. Which only makes things harder for Leo and Don.

"Dudes, when can we go?"

"Mike's right, (for once) when are we gonna get to the action?"

"Will you two keep it down? I'm trying to triangulate the signal, and neither of you are helping!"

"Oh, sorry Don. We're just bored to tears over here."

"Raph, he needs to concentrate."

"So you can talk but we can't?"

"Raphie's right, Leo. That seems a tad bit unfair."

"Guys, I'm telling you to keep it down, not dig a tunnel to China! Leave the room if you need to! It's not that hard!"

"See? Why don't you two wait in the next room while Donnie and I figure this out."

"Somethin' tells me that wasn't just a suggestion."

"Come on Leo! We wanna get to the action, that's all!"

"I am telling you, it's not rocket surgery, just leave the room!"

"You heard him, guys, leave the-"

"You, too, Leo!"

"Haha, the enforcer got enforced!"

"Me? Donnie, I've been quiet!"

"Tch. 'Cept for all the yellin' you've done, yeah, you're quiet as a church mouse."

"Stay out of this, Raph. You aren't off the hook either. Leo, just go. Make sure they don't run off on their own or do something stupid."

"Hey! I represent that comment!"

"It's 'resent,' Mike, but I guess represent works too."

"Please, Donnie?"

"No, Leo. Out."

"Fiiine. Let's go, guys."

"Come get me when it's time to go."

"I call the remote!"

"Close the door when you leave!"

"Got it."

"Finally. Peace and quiet. It's almost impossible to watch TV with them around. Goodbye noise, hello Jimmy Neutron. I'll just set the computer to notify me when it's finished calculating, aaand- action."

* * *

Ha. fun. Goodnight and please stay hydrated.


	17. Colors

WROTE THIS ON MY TABLET. YEP. THAT'S RIGHT.

However, due to having SIX reviews on the last chapter, I decided my computer could touch it up a bit.

Yukio87: I'm trying to write that story for you so much. It's halfway done and I'm not satisfied with it at all. I can do better than that, so it may be a little longer than ideal. BUT I GOTCHU. It will get written, I promise!

5Mississippis: Lol I'm really glad you liked it!

Roxygoth: Whew, I was hoping it wouldn't be confusing, thanks!

Lizzybud: HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN. I MEAN, I WAS DANCING WITH EXCITEMENT. And you even liked my authors notes... I didn't even know if people read these things! This one has some feels (I hope) so please enjoy!

Leggo lover 99: *Squeals to self: They said it was brilliant!* I'M GLAD YOU LIKED IT AND I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE TOO

Guest/Childish 'paw: I was hoping that part made up for the earlier chapter where I butchered his character X) Thank you for reviewing it means a lot!

Um. Yeah. Not sure what inspired this, maybe Instagram. BUT GUESS WHAT GUYS I MET A GUY AND HE'S SMART AND SWEET AND LOVES GRAMMAR AND PERCY JACKSON AND BEANIES AND BANDS AND HE'S CUTE TOO LIKE ASDFJKL;

Back to business. I don't own shit, okay? Okay.

* * *

Everything is blue. His mask. His hands. His pills.

The edges of my mask peek around the edges of my vision. Usually it isn't a problem, but then again, I'm not usually looking down at the sink.

I'm bent over the side, a glass of water in one hand, the other clutching the side of the sink like a lifeline. The white on my knuckles looks faintly blue in the light, and my eyes are on the pills resting in the corner. I don't like the situation. Hell, no one does. But I have to do it; I can't face them half-dead from lack of sleep. I can't take the looks they give me.

Don said this would help. He's done all he can, I know. But he's good at the physical stuff. Mental is different.

So I release my death grip on the sink, and reach over to the blue pills. I throw all three in at once and wash them down with water. I used to hate pills. But I've gotten better.

Who knows? Maybe in a few weeks I'll be able to dry swallow.

.

Everything is orange. His mask. His smile. His footprints.

I remember when my mask was long. I didn't like it. The ends were always blowing around into my face. The others made it look so easy, all dramatic with their masks flowing behind them. I never got the hang of it, so I cut the ends off.

I know everyone is hurting. Leo's taking pills to sleep now, because he can't close his eyes on his own anymore.

Donnie locks himself up more than usual. I miss him. The coffee pot is full of cold coffee. It has been for a while.

Raph... He refuses to catch himself alone with any of us. He's been avoiding us. Avoiding me.

I'm trying to keep them sane. I'm trying a lot. Just keep smiling, that's what I tell myself.

Even as my feet move me down the sewer at midnight.

.

Everything is purple. His mask. His eyes. His tears.

I've always been used to seeing my mask around me. Doing what I do, I have to stay alert, eyes moving around constantly.

That's what I've been saying for years, anyway. To keep the others off my shell about staying up so late and reassuring myself that it was for the greater good.

I've always been bad at hiding things. Mikey says my eyes give it away. That they're just too intelligent for their own good, and everyone can see exactly what I'm thinking.

It's a good thing no one's around to see my eyes now, because one look and they'd know just what I'm thinking of, and I know they wouldn't like it.

Wet drops hit my keyboard. I wipe them away, and bury my head in my hands.

I don't have to worry about whether or not my door is locked. I know it is.

.

Everything is red. His mask. His dreams. His drink.

I've always seen red. Whether from my mask or my anger, who can tell. No matter where I am or what's going on, red has always creeped into the edges of my sight.

Right now I know it's the mask. There's no anger left in me for tonight.

The beer in my hand glints in the kitchen light. I down another gulp. Leo's sound asleep. Donnie hasn't come out of his lab for eight hours straight. Mikey... probably on another one of his walks.

Sleeping is good. I do that a lot. Or, used to. Now I wake up thinking I'm still covered in my brother's blood. Thinking I'm a murderer.

Staying locked up in my room, yeah. That has me written all over it.

Going out late at night, definitely.

Part of me wants to help. Part of me wants to comfort them. It isn't their fault, this war. I want to tell them that.

But I just want to sit alone for now. Maybe I'll even get drunk this time.


	18. Despair

HEYY SO since I got like amazinggg feedback on the last chapter, I thought 'hey, how's about we do another one like in the before part?' Which was my exact thought.

So basically Leo's snapped. After years of being the leader and having all that pressure on him, he can't really control his outbursts. Donnie will explain.

Yukio87: Thank you for being patient! I'm trying to make sure everything is together and not OOC... That first draft was not good. BUT I'm working on another one. I have no idea when it will be done. And hey, this chapter will hopefully help explain the last one!

Guest/Childish 'paw: Thanks I love that song too! And about the story in 'Walls,' uh... I have no idea. I found another story that was kinda like it, and decided mine was too close to it :/ I can change it up, but there's no telling how long that will take.

Roxygoth: This should explain it. Hopefully. I like mystery stuff. The chapter title is for you, though!

Lizzybudd: AH thank you! I bet you can draw really well or are really good with people. Let me know if you're still confused after this chapter. Raph probably did kill someone but idk, he's killed people in my past chapters... But that's off topic. Eyebrows. *steeples hands* Eyebrows. I can maybe work with that. Should be a fun one!

5Mississippis: You're always so good at putting your feelings on paper when you write these, I just- Yes! that's exactly what I was going for, and this one should be about the same amount of heartbreaking!

Guest/Aqua: I listened to that song as I was writing it to keep in mind what was going on, and yes. I did go crazy. Thank youuuuu soso much for liking it, and saying I make the world a better place, because that means more to me than you think, I just, thank you!

BrightLotusMoon: Thank you so much, I have trouble writing him in third person, and I am so happy it's one of your favorites!

Update on the guy I met: we're dating now and I met his parents yesterday when they got my friend and I out of trouble by towing her car out of a ditch! No one was hurt, I'm not dead, I wasn't driving but I don't blame her for it :/

I don't own nuthin'.

* * *

Mikey knows he doesn't mean it. It's just stress, like Donnie said. But it still hurts when Leo snaps at him for letting Klunk go in the dojo during meditation.

"Mikey, get your cat out of here!" Leo apologized afterwards, of course. But he's been having to apologize too often lately. Mikey can't make him laugh. He's only smiled twice since the night Leo snapped. Maybe it's all the pressure from being a leader that's caught up with him. Leo doesn't talk about it. No one else will talk about it. It's like nothing even happened. There's a problem, so fix it. But Mikey can't fix it. He can't just crack a joke and make everything better. Donnie's lying about the "stress" part, that Mikey is sure of. Donnie has a reason. Mikey promised Leo he wouldn't go up top. But that's no good. He can't get rid of his nervous energy. He has to move, do something. Maybe the walk in the sewers tonight will help.

Donnie can't take it. He can't help his brother, not this time. "It's just stress" is what he tells his brothers. He doesn't tell them that Leo could be suffering from PTSD. They might not understand. They might look to him to fix it. But Donnie can't, he can't fix it. And that kills him. Everything has it's place, and this new development is no different. Don's face doesn't waver as he tells his brothers about the "stress." But Leo... Donnie has tried everything he can think of besides medicine. Maybe there could be a natural cure, somewhere. There isn't. He can only make sure Leo sleeps at night. They had talked about pills before, and Leo refused them. But Don can at least give him the option. He gives his brother the medication in silence.

Raph is at a loss. He can tell Leo is going through something. It's something that resembles what he feels almost all the time. But Leo isn't sleeping nearly as much as Raph does. And his outbursts are scattered and unpredictable. Raph wants to help. But he doesn't know how, and that scares him. It scares him to the point of denial. He doesn't understand what's wrong. Raph has his theories about that "stress" Don mentioned, that he could've been lying. But Mikey's the lie detector, not him. So he grasps for something he does understand, and there's suddenly a bottle in his hand. He drinks, and suddenly everything doesn't matter. It feels nice. He grabs another bottle. And the world fades away.

Leo is scared. He's terrified of himself. There are so many times where he's had to stop himself from hurting his brothers. He doesn't act like he used to. He wants it to go back to the way it was, badly. But his mood swings and personality have changed, and he doesn't know why. Donnie just tells him he's "stressed," which is a massive understatement. That he needs to relax, get some sleep. Leo's tired of sleeping. But at the same time, he needs it. It's been weeks since he last slept through the night. Don's given him pills to sleep. Leo hates pills, so he's avoided taking them. Until now, that is. Leo glances at himself in the bathroom mirror, his hands as tight as his face looks. The pills are in his hand, and he swallows them with a grimace. Finally, he might get some real sleep.


	19. Smell

It has been FOREVER. But I'm back for this eh? I've had this typed and ready for a couple weeks, I just didn't like the ending so I didn't post it. Then I said what the hell lets post it anyway.

SO HERE IT IS. Such excitement.

To everyone who reviewed, guys you really keep me going with this. Otherwise I wouldn't do anything at all.

Disclaimer: I'm gonna stop these because its getting annoying to disappoint myself every time I type this.

I almost forgot there's some death. Okay more than some. Okay this may be considered a death-fic. Maybe.

ENJOYYYY

* * *

0 smells- Mikey had always been a little more 'in-tune' with his sense of smell.

He could smell a pizza from a mile away.

From a single whiff, he could tell what month it was.

His nose was his guide, even as he slept. It was how he saved the lair from burning down one night. The stove had been carelessly left on, and smoke had been starting to rise from an overhanging dishtowel.

Mikey had a gift. And he knew it.

He knew who had entered the room behind him as he tried to meditate. Leo, as usual.

Leo had a certain smell about him; all Mikey's brothers did, Sensei, too.

Mikey didn't open his eyes. Leo didn't like to get caught checking in on his brothers. And Mikey felt safe being watched over by his brother.

Because Leo was calm and flowing and incense. He was smooth and stones and water, he was together and stoic and wise. He was sky and clouds and rain, fog and mountains and serenity.

Mikey couldn't explain it. He didn't even know how to make sense of it to himself when Leo left and the smell was gone, leaving nothing behind but something of courage.

And Mikey opened his eyes, and saw that his brother had left him alone in the room.

Mikey knew when Raph paused behind him to lean on the couch as he played video games. He knew better than to ask if he wanted to play; Raph did what he wanted, and any other suggestion was thrown out the window with a scoff and the closing of a door.

But Mikey enjoyed Raphael's presence, and never wanted him to go.

Because Raph was fierce and loving and passion. He was fire and sweat and fighting, he was city lights on a dark night and alleyways and late night runs. He was protector and playful and feeling.

Mikey couldn't explain it any differently. It was just how his nose communicated. The communication was there one moment, and gone the next.

And Mikey glanced behind him, and saw he was alone with his video games once again.

The smell of making dinner was nearly always the same, despite how many different things he made. Sure, the spices added an extra loveliness in the air, but there are only so many times you can use a spice before it fades into the background.

He's so caught up in the cooking that he doesn't hear Donnie enter the kitchen. His nose makes up for it.

Mikey doesn't acknowledge him with anything more than a bright smile and the nod of his head. Donnie's tired; he can see it in the way his brother slumps into the chair and leans over to rest his head on the table.

Mikey doesn't wake him. He doesn't need to, and it would be a cruel thing to do considering how late Don had stayed up last night. And Mikey liked being around him, even now as he dreamed away.

Because Donnie was oil and machine and electricity. He was coffee and exhaustion and inventor, he was bright and chemical and antiseptic. He was steel and ground and logic.

Mikey couldn't tell anyone how the smell felt to him. The kitchen smell faded into the background, and so did Donnie's.

Mikey turned slightly, still stirring the sauce. And he found that Donnie was gone, and he turned back around and continued cooking alone.

It isn't often they are called into Master Splinter's room. If they are, it usually means a lecture. Mikey wishes this were one of those times.

Because Splinter was flower and Japan and love. He was hill and field and wind, he was ancient and wise and forest. He was olden and graceful and home.

And Mikey felt his nose betray him. There were tears and blood and death. And he opened his eyes from the foot of the bed, and he realized his father had left.

And there was anger and sadness and defeat, there was acceptance and tears and denial.

And then his nose failed him, and he was glad when it gave him nothingness.

Mikey had sometimes wondered what he smelled like. His brothers often joked about how he stank after a run or an intense workout, but that wasn't how he smelled usually.

It wasn't as though he could ask his brothers, they didn't understand what he was talking about.

Donnie said something complicated, Leo just agreed and walked into his own mind, and Raph only paused for a second or two before waving him off. But

Mikey didn't mind, they had their own things going for them.

And that was okay.

And then it wasn't.

Because Raph was fierce and loving and passion. He was fire and sweat and fighting, he was city lights on a dark night and alleyways and late night runs. He was protector and playful and feeling.

Except now, he was blood and choked and trying. He was comforting eyes and sad smile and holding hands, he was 'I'm sorry' and 'don't cry' and 'it's okay.'

He was closing eyes and tear-stained and barely breathing.

And then he wasn't. And Mikey opened his eyes, and saw his brother had left him alone.

They had burned his body after Mikey called them. They had burned his body at the farmhouse. And Mikey's nose was filled with smoke and he was unable to smell anything else for months.

Leo and Donnie became distant. Or maybe it was Mikey himself that pushed them away. But they were still together under one roof.

And that was okay. It was okay.

And then... it really wasn't.

Because Donnie was oil and machine and electricity. He was coffee and exhaustion and inventor, he was bright and chemical and antiseptic. He was steel and ground and logic.

But he wasn't. He was cold and staring and stiff. He was blue and cut and dried blood, he was tear-stains and pain and Mikey's nose stopped working because his eyes couldn't stop crying and looking and staring at the body.

And then Leo was there, and he was saying something about the van and driving and fires. And Mikey nodded along because his ears had failed him as well, but Leo had a plan and Leo's plans never failed.

And so they drove to the farmhouse and set a fire, and the smoke in Mikey's nose lingered for months afterward.

They stayed at the farmhouse, just the two of them. They exchanged smiles sometimes, and conversations came up about the weather. They were happy together.

And that was okay. That was really okay.

They were going to be okay.


	20. Pumpkin

That last one... muy confusing. As in 'what was I on when I wrote that' confusing. Should I clarify with another chapter in Leo's POV or just let it be an example to me of why I should not write at three a.m.?

People who reviewed, all two of you, thank you sosososososo much for telling me it was not clear at all as to what was going on, because otherwise wouldn't have even known.

Hopefully this one is better

3\. Pumpkin- POV of pumpkin on Halloween night.

I never knew my parents. The only memories of affection I have are the occasional water I received from the man in overalls.

I was not given a name. My siblings- there are hundreds. They sit all around me, and yet, we have no way of communication.

Day after day, we sit outside, clustered together, with nothing to do. We can't move. We can't speak.

I am lonely.

But one day, something changes. The farmer and his farmhands are cutting our stems, which are really nothing more than feeding tubes by now, and are picking up my siblings- picking up me- and hold us close. I feel... loved. We are brought to the barn and arranged by size.

People start to show up. I can hear them, feel their speech in a way that makes me think I have ears.

They pass me by. I am glanced at, but a person comes close and chooses a brother or sister of mine.

Why? Am I different? Do I have something wrong with me? Or is it them, the people, who have a problem?

I question myself for hours that day. The sun goes down. The barn is closed for the night.

I am lonely.

The sun comes back up, and more people than ever show up. They pass me by once again.

Do they not love me? Or am I simply not capable of being loved?

A woman points to me. The feeling of joy is fleeting- this has happened before.

But she tells the man next to her she wants me.

"Casey, come on. Just look at it!" She says. "It's adorable."

The man, Casey, scratches his head. "I mean, are you sure, April? The stem is kinda lopsided, and-"

She hits his arm lightly. "It doesn't matter. I think it's cute."

Casey sighs. "Sure, it's cute. Why don't you go get one of those tiny ones for Mike, Raph asked me to get one for him."

Casey comes close and picks me up. Am I going home with these people? What kind of future awaits me?

I am set down in the back of a truck. I have never left the farm before. I didn't know a life existed outside this place.

The trees fade into buildings. The noise is such a big change from the quiet farm.

I am being carried again. We're in an apartment, and there are others waiting for us. They aren't human, but they are human. It's sets me down on a table.

April rushes over to greet the turtle people. The blue one stands up when she enters, a smile on his face as the orange one squeals at the sight of my much smaller sibling. The purple one nudges the red one, who rolls his eyes and mutters something.

"April, it's perfect! How did you know? I love these little baby pumpkins, they're the best!" The orange one jumps around a bit more and hugs April.

The blue one steps forward, the smile still present on his face. "Thank you, April, Casey. We haven't had a real Halloween in years."

April waves him off. "It was our pleasure, Leo. Besides, we need someone with a steady hand to help carve the pumpkin we bought. Casey is about as good as I am when it comes to this stuff."

The red one snickered at Casey's smile. "I'm not sure that was a compliment, Case."

April led them to the room I was in. "What do you think? Something traditional or something complicated?"

The orange one spoke up first. "Traditional, definitely."

April smiled. "Traditional it is! Everyone, grab a knife."

Wait, what? Knives? What do they need knives fo-

Oh no ohnoohnoohno.

They stabbed me. My top is gone. I don't feel so good.

They're ripping out my INSIDES. NO. THERE'S A REASON THEY'RE CALLED 'INSIDES.'

Aaaand I'm empty. Hollow. Just a shell of my former self. The purple one is yelling at the orange one for eating seeds. Pumpkin seeds. Those are mine.

The blue one, Leo, is lining paper up to my surface. This isn't so bad, considering what they've just done to my-

OHMYGOD THEY STABBED MY FACE. MY FACE IS BEING CUT UP BY MANIACS.

If I had any insides left, I would have thrown up when they poked triangles out of the area they had cut up.

The paper is pulled away and I can only stare in horror at my reflection in the oven door.

They cut my face into the shape of a smile. I do not feel like smiling. And the teeth they made are not straight. This is downright cruelty.

April picks me up and leaves the apartment. I briefly wonder how my siblings are doing, if they have suffered my same fate.

She sets me on a ledge right outside the building's doors. People walk past and point at me, laughing.

I am humiliated.

She goes back inside. That night, she returns only to set me on fire. The heat is there, it feels like I will burst into flames at any second, but I don't. She goes back inside.

People of all ages come and go as the evening wears on. I am pointed at, laughed at, and almost pushed off the ledge at one point.

I was wrong before. NOW I am humiliated.

The night is over. The sun is rising, and the fire inside me has been out for a couple hours. Nobody comes to claim me.

Some days wear on, and I am tired. I can't stay up anymore. I begin to fall over.

April comes back out. I don't know how long it has been.

I am done. I have served my purpose to these people. She picks me up, no longer holding me close to her.

I see a dumpster ahead. Inside of it are the corpses of my siblings. April tosses me inside.

Everything goes black. My time is done.


	21. Footsteps

My documents say this is chapter 20, buuut it's actually chapter 21. Coolio.

It's kinda short. Like really short. But I think its a sweet one, in its own way. Like one of those cute-ugly dogs.

I don't even know what was up with the last couple chapters, the 'Smell' one was just dumb af and confusing, and 'Pumpkin' was just... lol. I loved the reviews for those, they made me laugh :)

Thank you for putting up with my lack of posting anything! I still love you!

3\. Footsteps- Leo compares jungle life to city life? Meh. Find something better this seems like a shit one. Nope stickin with it like a boosss.

The jungle was never silent.

Birds sang and cawed. Monkeys screamed and hooted at each other. Branches rustled with every movement. Insects chirped and hummed.

And the trees, they were the loudest of all.

But they were the sounds of the jungle. Sounds that belonged.

A woman's scream, however, did not.

A set of running footsteps were heard for a minute, stirring up fallen leaves in their wake.

The footsteps were quick and nearly silent, they knew where they were going and how to get there. A mission.

The footsteps paused only to jump and land again, still running. They were kicked off trees in a leap and halted when the creaking of a vine under pressure indicated they had liftoff.

The footsteps returned to the jungle floor, dust barely flying.

They came to a halt, dust pooling around the green feet as if deposited by a small tornado.

Golden eyes sharpen in anger at the sight in the clearing.

Green lips turn up in a snarl, exposing teeth.

The footsteps are masked by the sounds of the jungle. A yell, a scream, and the whistling of metal cutting into the air. The wet sound of a fatal wound, and the soft thump of what could possibly be a head hitting the jungle floor. The dangerous sound of blades returning to their sheath.

A gasp, wide eyes, a 'thank you,' and clumsy scurrying fade.

The footsteps return to the sounds of the jungle.

They do not belong. And yet, they do.

...

Leo follows his brother one night. The Nightwatcher had been hung up, but that wasn't going to stop his claustrophobic brother from sneaking away in the middle of the night.

Leo wasn't sure if he liked the city. Sure, he liked it enough, it wasn't as though he wanted to leave again. It was just...

The city was never silent.

All through the night, sirens wailed and tires screeched. People stumbled around and talked loudly. They broke bottles and kicked trash cans. Car horns honked at all times of the night, as did apartment parties.

Leo had heard these sounds all his life. The sound waves seemed to boom around him, covering him in their noisiness and inviting him to join it. But those sounds belonged.

It wasn't the loud that Leo listened for. It was the quiet.

The soft footsteps racing across a rooftop finally met Leo's ears. The footsteps left gravel and dirt in their wake, and a sudden stop left the dirt and gravel flying, still caught up in the momentum of the run.

Leo turned to Raph. Golden met amber in silent agreement. A mouth turned up in a smile. The other, a bit more reluctant, returned it.

The footsteps were doubled. They were quick and nearly silent, yet they had no destination. Nowhere to be.

The footsteps paused only when they leaped over alleyways, and gravel rained as they met the roof opposite before returning their rhythmic pounding.

They were no longer nearly silent. They were fast, carefree. They were ready to be there, and just to be.

Gravel rained around them as the footsteps halted.

Leo and Raph were gasping for breath, and though they didn't have air to spare, they were laughing. And Leo didn't even know the reason why, but that somehow made it funnier.

Leo wasn't sure if he liked the city. It was never silent. But that wasn't always a bad thing, he decided as he tried to recover his breath, Raph still wheezing his laughter into the air.

The sound was almost foreign to Leo's ears.

It was as if the sound didn't belong in the city. And yet, as he looked at his smiling brother, he decided it did.

It really did.


	22. Voice

Hi! I'm not dead! Yay!

It's been... too long. I know. And I have been working on stories I promise! Better stories than this one! They're just kinda long. And I'm really bad at finishing things.

pownxmanonnie- Thank you! Hopefully you'll like this one too

lizzybudd- Ah thanks. That's like exactly what I was goin for and you made me feel like a good writer lol. Thanks for sticking around after all this time :)

This story was inspired by instagram. This one post where this dog broke out of their kennel to comfort crying puppies in another room. And that was tonight. That's right, I wrote this in one night. lol its not awesome bc it was written in one night. *finger guns out of the room*

Enjoy! I hope!

* * *

the leader of the bad guys sang,

Something soft and soaked in pain,

I heard the echo from his secret hideaway,

He must've forgot to close his door,

As he cranked out those dismal chords,

And his four walls declared him insane. -

Raph can't offer his brothers any comfort. They cry and they scream and Raph wants to help them but he knows he can't, even when they're one room away. If they were back at the lair, or in any other situation, he would at least call out for them; offer some solace for them in the sound of his voice.

It's too bad he can't speak anymore.

Raph isn't too torn up about losing his voice; it could be worse.

Mikey's blind. His little brother can't see at all and he'll stay that way for the rest of his life.

Donnie can't use his hands. Shredder did something- cut up the nerve endings in his wrists or something. Either way, the end result is the same. Raph's little brother will never make another invention, never feel the keys of a computer on his fingertips.

Leo is out there, somewhere. Shredder insists he's dead, but Raph knows better. He has confidence in Leo's ability to stay alive- especially when his brothers' lives are on the line. Raph would like to think of this as the only reason he knows Leo is alive, but a voice in the back of his mind tells him that if Leo were dead, Shredder would have certainly hung his corpse where they could see it.

Raph had been too loud. Too confident. Too comforting for his brothers. His voice had been heard in the dark, strengthening their resolve. It had cursed Shredder and his men. Most importantly- his voice refused to scream.

So Shredder had it removed. He'd told Stockman to remove Raph's voice and "Be careful not to kill him, or you'll take his place," which had effectively kept Raph from dying on that table.

Mikey's world was always so bright; Raph suspected his innocence had cost him his eyes. Shredder had no other reason why except to break Mikey's world.

Donnie hadn't had a clue what they did to him when they brought him back from the white room- he hadn't had an answer to Mikey's question of whether or not he was alright.

"I don't know, Mike. I'm not sure-" Donnie's sudden cut off made Raph's breathing speed up. Mikey's worried cries had brough Don back, with a wavering "I can't feel my hands" followed by a wail of "I _can't feel my hands_."

It didn't matter anymore, none of it did. No one could see in the dark; the pitch-black room seemed to eat away at any light that seeped through the door. No one dared to speak; there was nothing to say. No one could feel their hands; the blood flow had been cut off for so long.

Mikey cried and whimpered and sometimes sobbed. Donnie whined every time he moved. Raph could only gasp and rattle his chains.

That had been about a week ago. Shredder had separated Raph from them since then.

He could still hear them; Shredder had intended it to be that way. He had made an opening in the brickwork next to Raph's head. He couldn't call out for them.

It had been too much one night. The cries and the whimpering had been louder; Shredder had promised to kill one of them the next time he came back. It would be slow and painful, and they had no idea who Shredder had picked.

Raph knew Leo was still out there, looking for them. He feared their oldest brother would be too late.

But they cried and whimpered and gasped. Raph pulled at his chains, just as he did every night.

Mikey choked on a sob from next door and Raph pulled a bit harder.

Donnie shifted weakly in Mike's direction and whimpered. Raph pulled harder. He had a goal, and if one of them was going to die tomorrow, it was worth whatever Shredder would do to him.

The chains groaned and Raph panted. The cries stopped for a second, replaced with "Raph?" and "Raphie!" and "Don't do that, you know what he'll do."

Raph wheezed as the final pull broke the chain as well as something in his shoulder. He barely caught himself from face-planting and allowed himself a small smile at his achievement. Donnie sighed and Mikey moaned through the wall.

Raph picked himself up on shaky legs and made his way to the door. He pulled and pushed with all the strength he retained, and the lock on the outside broke.

The door swung open as Raph peeked into the hall. There were four doors.

One led to the white room, two led to their cells, and the last one was made of metal. It was the way out. A single bulb lit the hall, illuminating only the doors. Raph glanced back into his own cell and could see only darkness. He checked to see if the metal door was locked. It was.

Raph forced his weight against the door that led to his brothers until it gave in. It was as dark as his own cell.

Raph put a hand on the rough wall and felt his way along until Donnie said "Hey." He knelt down and cupped Don's face before pulling at his chains. Donnie hadn't been pulling on them constantly as Raph had; they weren't even remotely loose.

"Raph," Donnie called softly. "It's okay. Please stop."

Mikey's soft sob caught Raph's attention and he made his way around Don to the corner where they had his little brother locked away.

Raph avoided Mikey's face; he didn't know the extent of the damage to his eyes. Instead, he pulled at Mikey's chains.

Mike lifted a weak leg and kicked at where he thought his brother was standing. It was a weak hit, but it sent Raph down on his back, away from his brother.

"Don't," Mikey gasped. "it won't do anything."

Raph's breath caught in his throat. He'd landed on his shoulder first, hurting it more than it had been. If Raph had his voice he would've cried out.

He caught his breath and crawled over on his side the few feet it took for him to reach Don. He laid his head on Don's lap, uncaring of the few tears he had left to cry.

They laid like that for hours; Raph would move from Mikey to Don every now and then.

When the door opened, Raph was leaned on Mikey's shoulder.

Don didn't look; his eyes were on Raph's, wide and scared.

Raph couldn't see who it was because of the darkness.

Raph gasped as he tried to stand, ready to defend his brothers.

He tightened his fist, and the figure stepped forward.

* * *

Was it Shredder or Leo? Hmmmm...

* * *

Well, troops. Morale is low, anxiety is high, and Lieutenant Richard is dipping his sloppy joe in milk. I propose a new battle plan- let's all jump on the count of three. No, Joey, not off a cliff. Okay, jump! Dammit troops, this is why we aren't a real army.

It's because we don't jump and- Lieutenant get OUT of the cow this INstAnT I don't care if ol' Bessie ate your spicy pancakes!

That's it, I quit. Joey, you are the new commander of this army. Don't let Richard touch the cow.

* * *

Goodnight everybody I have missed you all!


	23. Moon

Okay so before I continue I just want to say something about this short chapter. It must have been early in the morning when I wrote the summary for this, (I write out summaries for myself and finish the real story later) so when I went back to it a few days later, I had no idea what I meant.

Was Mikey supposed to do something with the moon? And a copier? What was the story here?

It took me WEEKS of thinking about this before I finally realized. Yeah. I felt dumb.

SO here it is. It's short, but I enjoyed writing it. :)

* * *

15\. Moon- Mikey has a different idea than Donnie about visiting the moon, so he uses their new copier for some fun.

Mikey spun around in the old chair in Donnie's lab, trying to hold a conversation.

"So what do you think about space?"

"I don't know, Mikey, it's pretty big. Don't touch that!"

Mikey set down the blinking box with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. But where would you like to visit the most?"

Donnie sighed and put down the wires he'd been messing with. "I don't know. The moon, if I'm being realistic."

"Why the moon?" Mikey asked, still spinning in the chair.

"Because it's the closest to us, and I probably wouldn't make it to anywhere else honestly."

Mikey nodded in understanding. "What would you do there though? Isn't it just a bunch of rocks?"

Donnie shook his head and picked the wires back up. "Why don't you go bug Raph or Leo? I have to get this copier working by the end of today, and I can't concentrate with all your spinning."

Mikey laughed and flipped off the chair, leaving it spinning for a few seconds more. "You got it Don!" He left the room, calling, "Oh, Raphie!"

Donnie sighed again. He'd gotten the copier working last night, but this project was delicate, and Mikey seemed to know just what to do to make things explode. Hopefully his younger brother wouldn't notice that the copier wasn't even in the lab, but in a small storage room. Mikey didn't know that. Donnie hoped it would stay that way.

Mikey spent the most of the next twenty minutes trying to find Raph or Leo before he remembered that they had gone out on a 'bonding exercise' recommended by Splinter, who was meditating.

So that left Donnie-boy all alone.

But, on the very very bright side, Mikey had found the copier during his search. The 'broken' copier, which was very much a 'working' copier.

"He said he wanted to visit the moon... Maybe I can help him out with that." He pressed the 'on' button with an evil laugh.

*One hour later*

Donnie was surprised. Mikey hadn't made a single peep for an entire hour and a half. That had to be some kind of new record.

Unless...

Oh no. Mikey was quietest when planning a prank. And an hour-long planning period was not a good thing for anyone.

He got up to open the door. Maybe just a peek outside to make sure nothing heinous was going down...

Donnie cracked open the door and poked his head out, only to fling the door the rest of the way open in shock.

They were everywhere. Hanging on the ceiling, the back of the couch, the stairs, the doors, the doorways, even the fridge, were pictures of Mikey's butt.

"Ah!" Donnie made an exasperated sound and pressed his hands on either side of his head.

"Mikey!" He was past shocked. Now the anger set in. How did he even reach the ceiling!?

" _Mikeyy!_ "

Michelangelo laughed to himself as he stuck yet another fantastic landing. He overlooked the city, feeling accomplished after adding to his metaphorical 'book of pranks.' Mikey stared upwards into the night.

He'd be back home soon, of course.

But first, Mikey would enjoy the view. Especially his inspiration, the moon.

* * *

How long has this thing stayed going? Gosh. Two birthdays, two Christmases. Two years, going on three.

You've all been so supportive, and you're really the reason I still write. I can't finish stories for shit, I know, but I am working on a couple things. I want to finish them before I post them, that way I don't leave you all hanging.

Thank you all for your support :) see you next time, unless I get hit by a train.


	24. Taken

This is a Raph-centric story. He's my fav.

School is almost out, yayyy. Goodbye, Junior year.

I hope you like it!

* * *

The first time Mikey is caught, Raph stays by his side.

He didn't know why and was actually quite annoyed; did Raph think he needed help to get out of something?  
And the answer hit him only a few seconds after: of course he did. This was Raph he was talking about.  
The annoyance was replaced with something a little more like respect.

Raph only fought the big men pushing them down the hallways when Mikey stumbled or was shoved too hard.  
The men didn't push Mikey around as much after that.

They passed a door that had 'exit' over it, and Mikey remembers looking back as Raph fought the men tooth and nail to get to Mikey. To get him out.

It didn't work. Raph was overwhelmed in seconds and all he accomplished was getting the shell beat out of him.  
The room they were thrown into was dark, and Mikey made some quip about how stereotypical a place like this was, and how it looked just like the movies, except without the skeletons chained to the wall.  
Raph chuckled half-heartedly and said something about the smell.

Other guys came in a few minutes later to chain them up. Raph tried to fight again, and so did Mikey.  
They lost, and were chained up anyway.

Mikey remembers the name 'Schruder' because he made a joke about how his name sounded like a shoe or something.  
He also remembers it because Schruder was the man who cut him once or twice in the first hour.  
Schruder had walked up to Mikey, pulled out a knife, and slashed his legs a couple times. Raph threw a fit, to put it nicely.

Mikey doesn't remember much of what was said after that. Raph was spitting and cursing and _crying_ , and Schruder turned the knife on him.

Mikey pleaded for him to stop hurting his brother.  
Raph tried not to make a sound during the whole thing, but he yelled and even screamed in pain once or twice. Mikey remembers a lot of tears.

Leo and Donnie showed up about an hour and a half after they'd been taken. Raph was a bloody mess, barely conscience.  
Leo took his first life that night.  
They were 15.

The first time Donnie is taken, Raph throws himself off a roof onto a truck to try and save him.

Thinking back, Donnie isn't sure if Raph's true intentions were in plan B: go with the bad guys to help Don.  
Raph dropped his weapons and climbed in the van after a short fight he was destined to lose. The guys were Purple Dragons, and they were probably taking their prizes to Hun.

Raph sat next to Donnie, closing as much space between them as possible. Donnie remembers thinking how strange it was that they had to be in an extreme emergency for Raph to show what would be a regular sign of affection.  
Then Donnie thought back to when Raph and Mikey had been taken together, and he let it go.

Hun was waiting for them when they got there. The brute seemed to have taken a special liking to Raph from when they'd fought him before.

Donnie was a background character, until he fell flat on his face from tripping over a misplaced foot. He was suddenly Hun's new favorite victim.  
He'd kicked Donnie about six times, (He'd lost track), when Raph broke free of the crowd holding him.  
A streak of green bowling into Hun sent them both flying away from Don.

Donnie went unconscious for a few minutes, maybe two. When he woke back up, his bleary eyes saw Raph standing defensively with his back to Don, staring down Hun. He had quite a few more marks on him than Donnie remembered him having five minutes before.  
The ringing in his ears wasn't going away. His eyes closed against his will, the last thing on his mind being Hun's fist going straight for his brother.

Donnie wakes up in the infirmary. Leo is standing over him, messing with a damp cloth. He felt groggy and sore, but that didn't matter when the memories came back to him.  
Don remembers freaking out, demanding to know where Raph was, if he was okay, if there was permanent damage, if he-

Leo interrupted him and pointed to the other side of the room.  
Raph was curled up, facing the wall, probably asleep. His breathing was okay, but it sounded labored.  
They were 16, nearly 17. They celebrated their birthday that year when Raph recovered, several weeks later.

Leo hates it that Shredder has him alone on the rooftop. He hates it more when he sees that Raph's followed him there.  
They have darts. Raph is hit first, but Leo knows it's because Raph was taking it for him.

He fought for as long as he could, standing over his brother. Protecting him.  
Shredder sees he's getting worn down; Leo can feel it when his leg gives out. He's too slow to dodge another hit, this one to his head.

He's out before he feels the needle.

When Leo wakes up, he's in pain.  
His arms are bent unnaturally above him in chains, and he suspects whoever put him there wasn't trying to be gentle during transport.

His mind finally clears enough for the memories to flood through.  
Leo's eyes snap open at the muffled cry of pain coming from the only door out. He knows it's Raph; Leo never could get the sounds of their screams out of his head.

He struggles to get out of his restraints, and for a moment it's working. The wall is coming apart at the site of the anchors.  
Leo's head snaps up at the sound of the door, and he gasps at the sight of his younger brother. He's covered in blood, and Leo can't tell where one cut starts and another one ends.  
Shredder drops him to the floor, says something about their home and Raph's stubbornness, but Leo isn't listening.

Everything turns red.

Hours later, Leo claims that he has no idea what happened next, and Don seems to believe him.  
The truth is, Leo doesn't care to tell the story of how he's gone and shot a bunch of people with a gun from a dumb guard. He only cares that Raph is going to live.

If only he'd wake up.

The last time Raph is caught, he's by himself.  
He doesn't recognize the people that have him, but they seem to think he's an alien.

Raph snorts at that. He's positive these guys have no clue what they're doing, and his brothers will be here soon to bust him out of this tiny cage they've stuffed him in. For now, he's trapped on his stomach with no room to move his arms or head. The bars are short but thick, with just enough room between them for any kind of weapon the throw at him.

So he waits. Days pass, he's sure. They may have him locked up in a dark room, but Raph's internal clock hasn't failed him yet.

The members of the little cult have started checking in on him. And by 'checking in,' Raph means they've been poking him with sticks. And by 'sticks,' Raph means tasers.

It isn't fun. Raph can't move in the little cage they've stuffed him in, and his growls have become less threatening every time he whimpers.

The people seem to become more bold with him as time goes on. They've moved on to knives and some of them have arrows they shoot from across the room.

They moved him upstairs, so now Raph can see the sun. He wishes they'd put him back downstairs. He just gets so damn _hot_ up here.

Raph knows he's dying. He has a fever, which means infection. There are arrows poking out of nearly every place on his body, and a couple pocket knives have been left in his shell and arm.

Raph's given up on growling at them. It doesn't do anything to help his situation.  
He's been groaning in pain for the past couple days. They threatened to shoot him if he didn't stop. Raph hopes they do.

Someone brought in a gun, but so far they've only used it for show. When one of them presses the cold barrel against Raph's forehead, he has half a mind to press back.

The windows shatter, and he doesn't get the chance.

Blood is everywhere as screaming cuts through the air sharply. Not as sharp as Leo's katanas, though.  
Raph can feel himself being pulled out of the cage door while someone tries to get his attention. He thinks it must be Donnie.

He whimpers in pain as a hand brushes an arrow lodged in his side.

Raph can't hold on much longer, and he knows it. He grits his teeth and shakily moves his hand to Donnie's.

Donnie is yelling for Leo as Mikey takes his place at Raph's side. Raph catches the words sepsis and shock, but things are turning fuzzy around him. He squeezes Don's hand.

Their eyes meet, and Donnie says- _pleads_ \- for Raph to hold on.

Leo is by him now, blood spattered across his face and shell. Raph can't hold on.

He lets go.

The last time Raph is taken, they're too late.

Two weeks later, nobody wants to celebrate their 18th birthday.


	25. Donuts

2\. Donut- Mikey's hungry, but maybe pizza just isn't what he needs, so he goes to a donut shop, nearly gets arrested, hides in the freezer, and returns home with cold donuts. Raph isn't happy.

"Raphie."

"What."

"I'm hungry."

Raph rolled his eyes from his spot on the couch. "So go get a pizza or something."

"But," Mikey dramatically flung himself over the back of the couch from where he was standing. This conversation called for face-to-face interaction. "I want something sweet."

Raph sighed and turned down the volume on the TV. "Listen, I don't have any more candy, and I ate the rest of Leo's last week."

"What about Donnie's candy?" He somersaulted himself over the rest of the way. Mikey had been trying to find Don's candy for months. Hopefully Raph had an idea as to where it was.

Raph shrugged. "Who knows? The guy hides stuff like crazy. Wouldn't surprise me if he had an entire drawer dedicated to sugar."

"Hmm." Mikey rubbed his chin. Guess he didn't know. An idea struck him. "How about donuts?"

Raph gave a rare smile. "Donuts? Can't remember the last time we got donuts."

Mikey jumped up. "So it's settled. I'll go get donuts."

Raph shook his head, smile still on his face. "Hurry back, bro. I'm going out with Casey later tonight."

"No problemo, big bro. Be back in twenty!"

Mikey skateboarded through the sewers, laughing and whooping the entire way to the donut shop he had in mind. Sure, there were donut shops all over New York, but none were as good as this one. It wasn't even that popular, which was even better; less people to interact with.

Mikey slowed his board and left it by the ladder. He grabbed the coat and hat he'd brought along in his bag and began climbing. Hopefully the shop was still open.

He finally reached the surface and turned a corner out of the alley. Closed. Of course.

A normal mutant ninja turtle would turn around and just go somewhere else. But that's quitter talk. As long as there was a way in, Mikey could still get donuts.

Front door- locked, obviously. Windows- what the- they don't even open. He made his way along the corner wall and into the next alley. Finally, a window that would open. Mikey pushed it open as far as it would go and slipped in silently.

It was a small shop, about the size of their living room. It must have been something else before the owners bought it; donut shops don't usually have freezers.

Mikey looked for cameras and found a route to the back. They make the donuts the day before, so these were for tomorrow.

 _Let's see... Raph likes the jelly filled ones. Donnie likes those cinnamon things. Leo has a thing for sprinkles. And chocolate for me._ Mikey grabbed a bag from a shelf and carefully placed the donuts inside. This was delicate business. Plus they were still kinda warm. Best time to have them.

 _All I gotta do now is make it back to the lair and boom: Happiness in the form of donuts for everyone._

 _Wait- why are there sirens? Not for me, right?_

 _Oh crap. They're for me. Cops are all out front. But that's impossible, I was very careful to avoid cameras- the window. A silent alarm. Of course._

Mikey hopped over the counter and ran inside the freezer _. It's even darker in here than it is out there. The cops are inside now, I can hear them._ A flashlight moved over the small window at the top of the door.

 _Why is it so cold... Better question, why is the freezer even on?_

 _I'll find out later. Right now the best idea would be to hide behind the door against the wall._ Mikey pulled up his legs and hugged the bag closer.

 _On the bright side, I just remembered the money I almost forgot to leave on the counter._

Mikey heard something about a 'faulty alarm' 'probably a squirrel' and the door closed behind the cops as they left.

Mikey sighed in relief as he stood, rubbing his arms for warmth. He reached for the handle, pulling it gently. The handle came off in his hand. Mikey stared at it with wide eyes and a blank smile on his face.

"Shit."

* * *

Mikey kicked the door again, to no avail. The bag of donuts lay in the corner by the door, forgotten for the moment.

Mikey paced, staring at the seemingly condescending door. He sneered at it, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

"You cannot beat me, door. I know your weakness." He ripped his nunchaks out of his belt like a gun-slinger. Mikey let out a battle cry and hit them as hard as he could against the door.

Once again, the attempt for escape did nothing.

Mikey shivered as he let out another crystalized breath. _Donnie'd know what to do._

He took another look around at his surroundings. There still wasn't any light, save for the lamplight outside coming through the tiny frozen window. Still metal... Still cold.

Nope, Mikey still had nothing. He sat down next to the donuts, more exhausted than he thought he should be. _Must be the cold..._

No! Gotta stay awake. Mikey's head snapped up as he tried pacing again.

A sudden thought hit him. The hinges!

Mikey scrambled over to the other side of the door, searching with cold hands for anything he could grasp.

His hands brushed a knob. Curious, he turned it. Nothing happened.

Mikey let out a frustrated groan and hit the knob.

It pushed in. Looking up, he turned the knob again.

 _Click._

The door came open slightly, just enough to grab and pull open the rest of the way. Mikey whooped quietly at his accomplishment. As soon as he was out, he darted back in and grabbed the bag of donuts he'd left on the floor.

A small pile of money was left on the counter, and the window closed.

* * *

Skateboarding through the sewers really warmed a turtle up. The donuts were hidden snugly away in his backpack, and he grabbed them out as he entered his home.

Kicking up the skateboard and ditching the backpack, Mikey opened the bag as he approached the kitchen.

"Come and get it!"

No one appeared. Mikey looked around in confusion. He was sure he'd left his brothers right here.

Splinter opened the dojo door. He could have sworn he'd heard- "Michelangelo!"

Mikey turned, grinning as he saw Master Splinter. "Hey dad! Where's everyone at?"

Splinter stepped forward. "Looking for you. You told Raphael you would be back in twenty minutes."

Mikey thought back. "I did, didn't I? How long has it been?"

Splinter shook his head slightly. "About an hour."

"What!?"

"Your brothers must be very worried. I believe calling them would be best."

Mikey whipped out his shell cell and speed-dialed Leo's number.

Splinter chuckled to himself as he heard his youngest son explain himself. He walked back to the dojo.

"No, Leo- Home. Yeah. It's a long story... Yep! Okay. Bye."

Mikey sat at the table until his brothers came home.

Leo pounced on him first with the lectures, unsurprisingly. "You could've been hurt! We thought you were dead- or worse!"

Donnie waited for Leo to finish before he too, jumped in. "That cell phone is the only way we could have had any idea as to where you'd gone off to, and when the dot didn't show up on the screen, I thought someone had destroyed it on purpose!"

Raph seemed especially angry. "You said twenty minutes! It's been an hour! How're we s'possed to know where you are if you don't turn on your phone!"

Mikey explained what happened to his brothers as best he could. After some time, they calmed down. Leo left for the dojo, Donnie went back to his lab, and Raph still glared slightly.

Mikey meekly offered him a donut, and Raph took the one Mikey thought he'd like. His glare softened before his expression deadpanned.

"Mike."

"Yeah?"

"These are cold."

"... Yeah."


	26. Illustration

Posting two days in a row? I wasn't expecting this either, really.

But how else can I respond to guest reviews, right?

DEAR GUEST- I don't think I'm Donnie biased. I love him too, I just can almost never write him very well. I've written in past authors notes about how sorry I am to have butchered his character ;-; However, I wrote this chapter for you. Donnie-centric. Scouts honor. (I have never been a scout for anything, so does scouts honor still apply? idk) I hope you like this chapter, for some reason I thought of Donnie as British for the last part.

STORY TIME with Donnie

* * *

20 Illustration- Donnie has to be able to draw, in order to get his blueprints to look just the way he wants them to turn out.

Donnie picks up the pencil.

The blank paper on the floor in front of him stares back, blankly.

Donnie glares. His adversary is a difficult one; he doesn't know where to begin.

He knows he has to learn. This is the only way.

Splinter tried teaching his son before, but the soft, wavy lines are not what five-year-old Donnie wants.

He doesn't need to draw mountain views; Leo's got that down to a science, anyway.

Donnie lowers the pencil onto the page, and draws.

It's not what he wants.

He balls up the paper and throws it into the ever-growing pile behind him.

...

Mikey tries showing his brother how to do it.

Donnie decides it was a nice try, but it's not the style he's going for.

He's eight now, and Mikey's taken to comics. Leo can draw full-scale scenery settings using just a brush, and his youngest brother can draw people and animals who have purpose.

Mikey tells him to just go with the flow, but Donnie doesn't think so. It has to be perfect. Exact.

He picks up the pencil.

Using the small lamp on the side table, Donnie can see what he's doing on the page.

His arm slips, taking the pencil with it.

He sighs, and throws the paper in the trash on his way to bed.

...

Donnie blows out his candle. It's their birthday, or as Mikey calls it, mutation day.

They're twelve now, and Splinter beams at them when they smile at the real cake he has made for them. It tastes great, even though they didn't have everything they needed to finish it correctly.

Leo opens his present first. It's a flute made of wood; Donnie knows he'll have it mastered in less than a year.

Raph got his present a month ago, at his request. It was a pet turtle he'd found in the sewers, and Splinter let him keep it as a birthday gift.

Mikey, impatient as ever, opens his present next. It's a skateboard, barely used. Donnie inwardly winces at the future injuries this will bring.

Expectant eyes are on him now, as Splinter pushes a thin package his way.

Donnie opens it carefully; removing the tape to peel away the wrapping paper.

His eyes widen slightly.

It's a sketchbook.

Donnie's head snaps up to his father's, who nods. "Yes, it is yours."

Donnie runs forward, unable to contain himself. "Thank you, so much."

Splinter hugs him back, glad he was able to find the gift in the first place. "Happy birthday, my son."

As Don pulls away, Mikey hands him a pencil. "Maybe now you'll show us what you work on so much, right?"

Donnie takes the pencil and nods slightly. "Maybe."

Later, Donnie opens the sketchbook at his desk.

He picks up the pencil.

The lines are smooth- much smoother than in years past.

But it isn't what he wants.

Donnie closes the book with a sigh, and goes to bed.

...

Donnie is surprised when Raph offers to show him how he draws.

It's rare- Raph opening up to anyone these days.

He's changed, that's for sure. Donnie can't say that it's for the better.

It's almost as if turning fourteen changed him.

Nevertheless, Don is glad when Raph offers.

Now, however, he is slightly confused. Raph's taken him down to some part of the sewer that isn't all that familiar.

Suddenly, they stop.

"We're here," Raph announces.

"Where's the..." Donnie trails off when Raph points to a hole in the wall.

Donnie sticks his head in, and gasps.

Colors line the wall in front of them, empty spray paint cans littering the floor.

"You... did all this?" He asks.

Raph nods. "I wanted ta show you, before we go up top next year."

"Why me?" He can't help the question.

"Well," Raph digs his toe into the gravel below them. "You never laughed at me. I knew you'd appreciate it the way I do."

Donnie nods, and hugs his brother. Raph hesitantly hugs back. "Thank you."

"I know you're always working on... whatever it is you work on, and wanted to show you to draw what you want."

Donnie smiles.

Later that night, he picks up the pencil.

He's gotten better, he can tell. His sketches are nearly full-scale by now, and he can draw anything from looking at it a few times.

Satisfied, Donnie closes his notebook, and turns out the lamp by his lab table.

...

Don grins to himself. His newest invention is a perfect success.

It flies, dives, and records all at the push of a button. They're going to need this for surveillance in upcoming missions.

He goes up top to test how far it will go.

...

Mikey poked his head out from behind the corner. "Eagle one is in position, I repeat, Eagle one is- Ow!"

"I'm right behind you Mike, now shut up, will you? If Leo catches us, we're in trouble for sure!"

"Fine, fine! You don't gotta hit me!"

"That was for fun."

"Hmpf."

The two turtles crept past the dojo, making it to Donnie's lab.

"Where's the sketchbook?"

"Which one? He's got a few, y'know."

"Found one."

Raph opened it to the first page.

"Ah, nevermind."

Mikey cocked his head. "What is it? Lemme see."

Raph shook his head, thumbing through the papers. "It's just some blueprints he's printed out or something."

"All of it?"

"Yeah, all of it. Keep looking."

Leo glanced around as he stepped out of the dojo. Everything was as he'd left it, except for Don's door.

Donnie never left a door open, especially his lab door.

"Interesting," Leo hummed to himself. He made his way across the kitchen.

Raph and Mikey stopped what they were doing the second they heard the cough at the door.

They both turned to find Leo standing in the doorway, arms crossed and foot tapping.

"So," He started. "What's up?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "We're just tryna' find some of Don's drawings. So far it's just stuff from his computer he's probably printed out."

"Stuff?"

Raph sniffed. "Yeah, buildings and blueprints and maps stuff."

Mikey nodded. "Are you gonna rat us out?"

Leo stepped in all the way and shook his head. "No."

Raph smiled sideways. "You wanna see his drawings, too, don't you?"

Leo shrugged with a small smile. "He have you checked the cabinets?"

...

Donnie returned half an hour later, triumphant. The machine worked just as he'd predicted.

His upbeat step slowed as he neared his lab. Door, open. Not right.

He sneaked forward, listening for any sort of noise from the inside.

"-just don't see how we can't find any. He's always drawing," Raph was saying.

Donnie knew what they were looking for immediately.

"You know," He started, stepping into his lab, "You could've just asked."

All three turtles froze and sheepishly turned to the doorway.

Leo stepped forward first. "Hey, Don. We, uh, didn't think you'd be back so soon."

Don raised an eye ridge. "Mhmm."

He stepped in to find a few of his drawings already laid out on his lab table and desk.

"Oh. You guys already found them." He ran a finger along the side of his latest work.

"What? You printed those off from your computer." Mikey's words were rushed.

Donnie was confused. "Mike, we don't have a printer."

Three sets of eyes widened. "What?" They spoke in unison.

Donnie bowed his head, still looking up. "I drew these."

"What?"

"Well, what do you think I've been doing with all these notebooks? I've been practicing."

"Wow."

Mikey whistled.

"We thought these things were digital or somethin'"

Donnie nodded. "Yeah, well." He stared at the floor.

"Can we see you do it?"

Donnie looked up, surprised at Leo's request. "Uh, I mean, sure. If you want."

"Mhmm."

"Yeah."

Leo nodded.

"Okay, then."

Donnie sits down at his desk, his brothers all around him.

He picks up the pencil, and draws.


	27. Paper

You can thank my procrastination skills for this little guy. I'm actually supposed to be writing my paper for English tonight. Looks like that isn't happening. Enjoy!

A lot of cursing in this one, sorry

WE'VE HIT 100 REVIEWS and I also felt the need to celebrate that. It's the big things in life.

5\. Paper- Donnie assigns a paper to see what everyone has learned about first aid, and because its supported by Splinter, they have to do it.

"... Any questions?" From his standing point at the desk he'd dragged out, Donnie looked around the dojo at his brothers in annoyance and slight irritation masked by interest in the fact of whether or not any of his siblings/pupils had anything to ask or add.

Leo was sitting up in his meditation position, and despite the attentive expression on his face, Donnie suspected he had actually begun to meditate ten minutes in to his lesson.

But at least Leo had the decency to try and pay attention. Mikey's snoring got loud enough at one point that Donnie had to talk over him.

And Raph? He wasn't even pretending to pay attention. Sure, he's the one that elbowed Mikey awake when the snoring became too much, but other than that, he was looking around the room, picking at his fingers, and doodling on the note paper.

Leo seemed to break out of his trance as Donnie asked his last question.

"I think that's it, Don. Thank you for teaching the lesson."

Donnie resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Sure, Leo._

Raph took his head off the hand he was resting it on. "Yeah, Don. Real inspirational."

He shook Mikey awake next to him. Mikey's hands flailed a bit as he blurted out, "But I don't wanna sing 'Big Rock Candy Mountain.'" Raph shook his head at him and turned back to Donnie.

"Really, it was a great lesson." He stood up slowly and stretched his arms above his head. "Let's do it again sometime."

Leo stood slowly in the same manner and gave a nod to Donnie as he helped Mikey get up from his sitting nap. Donnie sighed, exasperated.

"You know, I really should make you all write a paper or something to show you were paying attention."

Leo stopped in his tracks for a second, his face stricken before it was replaced with a placating smile. "You really don't have to do that, Don. Really. The lesson was enough."

"Oh really?" Donnie crossed his arms. "What's the correct procedure for a bone density test?"

Leo's plastered smile seemed to become a bit strained. "Uh. It's a test for bone density, so you have to, like, hit one? and hear the sound? and it tells you if it's dense or not."

Donnie stopped himself from face-palming. "No, Leo. The standard test uses a low dose X-ray to detect signs of bone thinning and mineral loss. Were you even listening?"

Leo was about to answer when Splinter seemed to materialize at his side. "Donatello, I think a paper would be a wonderful idea." He turned to Leo. "Leonardo, I expect you to listen to your brother when he tries to teach you something. Go tell your brothers they have homework."

Both Leo and Donnie bowed politely. "Yes, Sensei." Leo glanced down at Mikey, who had fallen asleep again, and nudged him with his foot. Mikey grabbed on to like it was a teddy bear, smiling in his sleep.

Splinter bowed back to his sons and shuffled back to his room.

Leo gave his foot a few test-tugs, but it was firmly in Mikey's grasp. Donnie only shrugged and walked away when his brother looked to him for help. Leo sighed and sat down so his foot wouldn't bend at an awkward angle. He was going to be there a while.

...

When Mikey finally woke up, Donnie told Raph and Mikey about the paper he was going to have them write. They laughed for a second before he told them Splinter assigned it.

"It's due in a couple days, I don't expect you to write a paper in one night. However, I do expect it to be finished by... Oh, let's say Friday. That gives you four days. I'd get started now, if I were you." He was about to leave the kitchen when Raph spoke up.

"Wait, four days? How many words does it gotta be?"

"Uh," Donnie waved his hand a bit. "300 at the least?"

Mikey and Raph stared at each other with wide eyes before switching to Donnie.

"Dude, that's impossible!"

"How are we supposed to write all that?"

"You didn't even teach us anything!"

"If you think I'm actually doin' this, you've got some screws loose!"

Their protests were cut off by the sharp sound of a staff on the floor. Splinter walked forward and made a motion for Don to leave.

He turned to his sons. "You will write this paper. And you will write it exactly how Donatello wants it to be written."

"But-"

"No buts. If you fail to meet Donatello's expectations, you will be grounded to the lair for a week."

"Yes, Master Splinter." They spoke in unison.

Splinter nodded his head. "Good."

...

Day one- Mikey and Raph were playing video games. None too quietly, either.

"Hey- get off my guy! I'm about to hit first place!"

"Over my dead body! I'm getting that virtual trophy!"

"Ha! As if you had the skills- Hey! Stop!"

"You stop!"

"No, you stop!"

"You first!"

"No, you- Hey!"

"Ha ha, I win!"

"Why you little-"

Day two- Raph squares off against Leo while Mikey and Donnie watch from afar.

"Have you written the paper yet, Mikey?"

"Uhhh..."

"I'll take that as a no."

Day three- Leo is finished, Mikey and Raph decide to go topside.

"That was fun."

"Yeah. Nice jump over that building, bro."

"Told you I could do it."

"Never doubted you."

"Okay. Night, bro."

"Night."

Raph closed his door and headed for his sleeping pills. It was late, but he'd just come back from a workout. Don said he needed to have a 'properly regulated sleep schedule,' whatever that truly meant. The guy stayed up past five a.m. on his computer almost every night.

Raph shrugged a shoulder at the thought and tossed back the pills, swallowing them effectively.

Just as he was getting into his hammock, a hurried knock came from his door.

Raph opened it, growling. Mikey stepped back, hands up in a surrendering motion.

"Hey, hey! I just wanted to see how your essay was going and if I could borrow some notes."

Raph blinked. "Essay..."

Mikey blinked back. "It's due tomorrow morning, in like, three hours?"

Raph's eyes widened and he slammed the door in Mike's face.

He paced around the room and grabbed the shabby laptop Donnie had made for him years ago.

That was the last thing he remembered when he woke up in the morning. He shuffled the papers together, bleary-eyed.

Raph glanced at the time on his clock and realized he was late for training, already having slept through breakfast.

He shoved the papers into Donnie's hands first thing as he entered the dojo. He squared off against a practice dummy as Mikey and Leo sparred on the center mats. Donnie sat in the corner, reading Leo's over-the-top five page paper.

He nodded at Leo's analysis. Pretty good, it had everything he needed.

Mikey's was a bit forced, and it seemed he didn't know what he was talking about.

Raph... What... What?

"Uh, Raph?"

"Yeah, whaddya want?"

"Could you, uh, show me what you're trying to say here?"

Oh boy.

Raph inwardly cringed and walked over to where Don was, coming to sit down in front of him.

Donnie had this strange pinched look on his face when he handed Raph his paper.

Raph dragged his eyes across the page. It was making sense, sure there were some misspellings, but-

Oh. OH.

* * *

Raph's Paper Title

There may not be a lot of time between the point of where the bone is first broken to the point of when it should be set to heal properly.

First things firts if you have a broke bone youre in deeeeep shit. that shit hurts like a mofo and if u think ur just gonna walk outta that situation all fine and dandy woooowweeee ddo you gotta nother thing comin.

If its a open bone thing tas really not good. mmmmmmmmmmilkshak etime

The thing is yu gotta get the real bone thing to line up with the other real bone thing thing and then you can put the bam thing around it so it stays like the fuckin thing should which is like the staright shit a bone outta be. And if it aint a straight bone thas not good ts shitty.

If ya gotta cut thats a whiole different piece of shit. you gotta wrap it with a clean shit cloth and dammit all to hell if you dont gotta clean shit cloth cos that shit gon get infected as fuck.

Now some peeps are gonna say some stupid shit like 'wait do you know about the shit wth sprains?

And I'm gonna say somthin like ya what the fuck is up with that

And then I'm gonna stun your ass with knowledge on strains and sprains and fractures and shit

im tiresd sso taking break now thansk

anesthetic is the most imposrtat part o fixing bones since that is thge maot painfiul part of ficing it up

the sentednev doenst coepydhe teh frist thijnbg i wasnt iiuyt too dammit

emberceyyyyyyy canteiclum in hisptlwedioooookoooooooo'

dont sjudt su bald eberyging is connectd idnclysdeinfg thdnsg pajdyer hsaedh iethd adi tehaweepiudisb chabde id evewisjrfb

ILLUMINAHTIgoat-headshaped star formatoion in Lady Gasga music viosda. she may not nev a leadser but shedd coulds be padtr of the rEallilluminatu.. theyre all fUCKINGsatdbnists includung ghe poppe becasue jge chalolicc chuch os jusgt derieiverd froikm padganism which ud is is freoim the= ==befoire whuich wasd shiitAND theys keopo tehir demosn inteh pentadgon PENTASGDGOM behciaouse iuts shapsedlikdePENTASOGNDAMMIT

GOAt hewsassd aew illlllunminatoi saymoby; fier everyojen an shit...

I knotheis is wht theright FUCKINGonesiwasthe the dhr tnwais alike lew siu tneed tiisp the

/?.

dsfgthytujkikgh njMkj. j,/ as?ku WE45JIq#W2ruir84385o jUQWHK Q$ ? $Q#KL

th emf

* * *

The sensible writing turned into what looked like a conspiracy ramble. The original topic was practically gone and curse words were thrown left and right.

"What I just want to know," started Don, "Is how you managed to spell the 'F' word correctly no matter what."

Raph offered a nervous smile. "Heh. You know me, I'm dedicated."

Don face-palmed.

"Uh, I don't suppose you want me to explain?"

Donnie stood and started pacing in front of his brother. "I just don't understand how you managed to go from different forms of broken bones to the entire Illuminati conspiracy, which apparently includes Lady Gaga, to becoming so completely incoherent that I can't tell one word from the other unless its a curse word!"

Raph put the paper down. "Yeah, I don't really know where that came from, I don't even like conspiracies-"

"Just," Don held up his hands. "No. I can't- I don't even- Leo, Mikey, you pass. Raph, I'm framing this, first off, and second off, you can join me in my lab every day this week and watch what I do."

Raph nodded. "Okay, okay. Wait, you're framing it? Why?"

Don's demeanor broke into a strange smile and he laughed. "Are you kidding me? This is gold. It's never leaving my side and I'm showing everyone."

Raph groaned. "Am I grounded?"

Donnie tapped his chin. "Well, you did manage 300 words. They were gibberish words, but still words."

"Thanks Don."

"I can't wait for Casey to see this."

Raph's head hit the wall.

Donnie clapped his hands together once. "Class dismissed!"


End file.
